King and Lionheart
by Persephone21
Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter have always been known for their antagonistic relationship, but when Hogwarts is faced with a mysterious threat, the two are forced to reconcile their differences—at least temporarily.
1. This is War

**The wonderful JK Rowling created this universe; I'm just playing in it. **

**One**

**-or-**

**This is War**

"**I won't surrender. I will fight better. You lock me out, you knock me down, but I will find my way around. I won't surrender. This is war."**

**-Ingrid Michaelson**

_Finally, after what seemed like hours, he stopped._

_James and Lily exchanged a quick, anxious glance—both eager to unravel the mystery at last—and followed him to the edge of the tree line._

_Together, they crept to a large oak and peered around it into a wide clearing._

_Lily's blood ran cold._

_Without thinking about it, she reached for James, and he seemed to be reaching for her at the same moment. Their hands connected and gripped each other tightly. Lily felt herself shaking, and was glad to know that another warm body was beside her._

"_James," she whispered, her voice cracking in fear, "what are we going to do?"_

* * *

**Six Months Earlier…**

As she walked down the long seventh floor corridor, Lily Evans decided that Dumbledore must have been out of his mind. He'd always been quite the eccentric, and rather liberal for a Headmaster, but this was clearly madness.

She glared at the back of the boy sauntering exactly five paces in front of her.

Why in the world did Dumbledore think that she and _James Potter_ could ever pull off Head Girl and Boy?

Tonight had been their third Head meeting together, and the third time their discussion had turned into a heated argument.

It was simply impossible for them to get any work done. They always started off their meetings with the good intentions of working in tandem, but they'd eventually end up dividing all their responsibilities between them instead.

James and Lily had a complicated relationship.

Both were stubborn and passionate, making it inevitable that they would occasionally clash, but, for their first four years at Hogwarts, the presence of one Severus Snape put a perpetual strain on their interactions with each other. For, while Severus had been Lily's dearest childhood friend, he was also James's most hated rival.

At the onset of fifth year, James had decided it was his mission in life to make Lily want to pull her hair out. For the remainder of the term, he had found it necessary to follow her once a day, flirt one-sidedly with her, and then say something asinine so she would have no choice but to yell at him.

James Potter might have been physically attractive—it was impossible for Lily to deny—but his attitude made him insufferable. He was a chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and he also happened to be quite brilliant, giving him the grounds, so he thought, to be completely above the rules. He was fond of hexing first years and Slytherins "just because," and his petty fights with Severus were a constant sore spot in Lily's life.

Severus had been Lily's closest friend for almost as long as she could remember. He introduced her to her magical life, and that formed a bond between them which sustained their friendship through the years. He had always been a little different—he had some strange intellectual interests—but Lily loved him all the same.

But, somewhere over the course of their friendship, he began to change.

Lily wasn't naïve; she knew that Severus was surrounded by Slytherins who disapproved of their relationship. She was a muggle-born, after all, and a Gryffindor to boot. And she dealt with similar pressures herself—her housemates never understood why she was friends with Severus in the first place. However, Lily had never been one to let prejudices get in the way of what she knew to be right, and she knew that Severus didn't think that _she_ was any less of a witch because of her family. But, eventually, Lily could tell that their friendship was beginning to take a toll on him.

Severus began to avoid her in public. During classes that they shared, he started sitting with his Slytherin friends—Avery and Mulciber—and he would hardly look her in the eye. Lily despised Snape's housemates. They were the worst sort of bullies—worse, even, than James Potter and his friend Sirius Black—they didn't pick on younger students just for a laugh, they actually derived a sick pleasure from watching them suffer. Severus had always held a strange fascination for the Dark Arts, and Lily knew that the influence of Avery and Mulciber would only help it grow.

Severus was also becoming more and more obsessed with James and the rest of his friends.

James was the ringleader of a group of boys who called themselves Marauders and prided themselves on being immature pranksters. There was the handsome Sirius Black, James's best friend, kind Remus Lupin whom Lily happened to like, and Peter Pettigrew, a smaller boy who nonetheless managed to hold his own.

Lily had always assumed that Severus was merely jealous of the Marauder's popularity and effortless intelligence—he was so eager to catch them at wrongdoing, almost as if to prove that they weren't as perfect as the rest of Hogwarts believed. He insulted them incessantly, and was constantly worried that Lily would fall for their charm. It frustrated her to no end, and she grew increasingly weary of him treating her like she needed to be protected all the time.

These cracks in Lily and Severus's friendship weren't enormous, but they proved devastating on a particular June day at the end of their fifth year.

Lily had just finished her Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. and felt she had done rather well on it. She joined her four roommates—Diane, Mary, Catherine, and Cindy—in celebrating down by the Black Lake.

She was just starting to relax and unwind after the stressful exam when Mary nudged her shoulder with a reluctant look.

"What is it?" Lily asked, frowning.

Rather than responding, Mary merely nodded towards the grounds where a crowd of students had gathered. Lily's eyes narrowed when she realized whom they were watching.

She quickly tugged on her trainers.

"Excuse me," she said, standing.

Lily made her way to the edge of the crowd just in time to see James Potter flick his wand coldly at Severus. On the ground, struggling to get up, Severus gagged on pink soap bubbling from his mouth.

"Leave him ALONE!" Lily yelled.

James and his accomplice, Sirius Black, turned around. James immediately began running his fingers through his hair, and grinned widely at Lily.

"All right, Evans?"

"Leave him alone," she repeated, ignoring James's pleasantries, and glaring at him pointedly. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," James paused, as if for emphasis, "it's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean…"

The crowd of students laughed, but his attempt at humor only made Lily angrier.

"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," he responded, smirking. "Go on. . . Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," Lily retorted.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Black, finally joining the conversation. He turned around to look at Severus, "OY!"

Severus had finally grabbed his wand and pointed it at James. Suddenly, there was a flash, and a deep gash appeared on James's cheek. His robes were immediately covered with blood. James whirled around and cast a spell in retaliation. Severus was now hanging upside down. His robes fell over his head revealing his graying underpants.

The small crowd cheered, and Lily fought to contain a smirk. After all, it was a pretty small punishment to pay for the wound on James's face.

Finally, Lily resumed her furious expression, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," James replied, jerking his wand upward. Severus fell to the ground and quickly got to his feet.

Before Severus could ready a spell, Black yelled, "_Locomotor mortis_!" and he was back on the ground, stiff as a board.

Frustrated to no end, Lily finally pulled out her own wand.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted.

James and Sirius watched her cautiously, eyes on her wand.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed dramatically then muttered the countercurse.

"There you go," he said, watching Severus struggle to stand, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus—"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily immediately felt a chill run through her body. All the sudden, everything seemed too loud and too much. It was a name she had been called often, but never by her best friend.

"Fine," She replied, coldly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

Before Severus could retort, James had his wand pointed menacingly at him again, "Apologize to Evans!"

Lily rounded on James, "I don't want _you_ to make him apologize! You're as bad as he is!"

"What? I'd NEVER call you a—you-know-what!"

But Lily had had enough of James, enough of _Snape_, enough of everyone.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can—I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

She stalked away from James and Severus that afternoon, determined to never speak to either of them again.

More than a year had passed since that fateful day by the lake, but the memory still made Lily sad. She didn't mourn for Snape, the Slytherin who had cursed her, but for Sev, the boy who had showed her magic.

Lost in her reminiscing, Lily didn't notice when the Head Boy came to an abrupt stop in front of her, and thus she ran right into him.

She started to angrily tell him to get out of her way, but he shushed her before she could get the chance. She glared up at him, but he only rolled his eyes and pointed to something, or rather someone, down the corridor.

Looking in the direction he gestured, she noticed a darkly dressed bloke pacing up and down an offshoot of the main corridor.

"What is he—" Lily began to ask out loud before James covered her mouth and shoved her roughly against the wall.

Disgusted at their close proximity, Lily made to shove him away, but he glared at her with such intensity that she kept her mouth shut.

He looked down the corridor again, and Lily followed his gaze.

A door suddenly appeared in front of the mysterious figure and he entered promptly.

James crept towards the door with Lily just behind, but when they got close, the door had disappeared.

"Damn," muttered James, running a hand through his hair.

"What the hell was that?" whispered Lily in reply. "I've never seen that door before."

"Neither have I," James replied, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "And I know this school better than anyone."

"Apparently not as well as that bloke," smirked Lily, hooking her thumb towards the now blank wall.

James looked ready to retort, but seemed to think better of it.

"Come on, Evans," he said, motioning her towards an unused classroom a little ways down the hall, "I hate whispering."

She followed him inside the room, and they sat down—a reasonable distance apart, of course.

"What did we just see?" asked James.

"Well," Lily began in a slow voice, "A sketchy looking fellow paced back and forth in an abandoned corridor after curfew and managed to summon a door that disappeared the moment we got near."

"Thanks for the narrative," James bit back. "But what did it _mean_?"

Lily shrugged, unsure, "He looked suspicious to me. No one sneaks around at night unless they have something to hide."

James smirked, "Or a prank to stage."

James and his friends went to great lengths to stage ridiculous pranks. Sometimes brilliant and complex pranks, but mostly ridiculous.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Right, or unless they're immature gits. The real question is what we're going to _do_ about it. Should we tell someone?"

James shook his head, "What are we supposed to say? First off, we have no idea who the bloke was, and second, we don't even know _what_ we saw. He could have been meeting a bird for a quick snog, for all we know."

"What if he was actually up to something?" Lily argued. "Are we just supposed to leave that unreported? I think we should go to Dumbledore."

James sighed, "Look, Evans, how about this: we meet back here a week from now, same time and place, and see if he's here again. If he is, maybe we can find out something more definitive. And in the meantime, we can do some research about this disappearing door business."

Lily smirked, knowing how much this entire situation must have frustrated him. He was James Potter, after all, the prankster who knew all there was to know about the castle.

Although Lily was reluctant to agree to meet James Potter anywhere, her curiosity outweighed any hesitation. So, they agreed on the time and the place and then left as quickly as possible—Lily back to the common room, and James off to Merlin knows where.

* * *

Lily spent most of her free time during the next week—which wasn't a lot to begin with—scouring through maps, building plans, and histories of Hogwarts, but to no avail. She couldn't find any mention of a disappearing door on the seventh floor, or any room at all in that corridor (actually, a few authors reported a bathroom or a supply closet along that wall, but Lily hardly thought that relevant).

Sunday night rolled around, and Lily found herself sneaking out of the common room for the sole purpose of meeting James Potter. Needless to say, she kept this news from her friends Mary and Diane.

She snuck through the corridor, one ear listening for any other footsteps, and crept towards the abandoned classroom she and Potter had used the week before.

She had almost reached the door when a large hand clapped down on her shoulder. She jumped and couldn't help but let out a squeal of fright.

She whipped around to see James smirking at her, "Geez, Evans, calm down."

"Git," she glared. "How did you sneak up on me?"

He shrugged, "Walking quietly is a key skill required for Maraudering."

Lily chose not to comment, and they crept the rest of the way to the classroom in silence.

James shut and locked the door behind him, then gestured for Lily to have a seat.

She resisted the urge to argue with him about telling her what to do, mostly because she had no plan for their stakeout and he seemed to know what he was doing.

After she was seated in a desk, he pulled a crumpled piece of parchment out of his pockets and laid it gingerly on the table between them.

She stared at it for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, "What's this? Are we going to send the mystery bloke a note? 'Hi, we're stalking you and we'd like to know what you're doing? Thanks for your help, Head Boy and Girl?'"

James stifled a grin, Lily noticed, and then shook his head with an air of superiority, "Not even close. This piece of parchment is the key to figuring out who this enigmatic fellow is."

Lily stared at him, still not following.

He rolled his eyes and murmured something quietly enough that Lily could only make out a few words, all while pointing his wand at the parchment.

Immediately words appeared on the page, _"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aid to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present… THE MARAUDER'S MAP."_

"The Marauder's _Map_? Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"This is much more than just a map," he opened it, and located the seventh floor, "Look at where we are."

Lily leaned over the map and found the abandoned classroom, and there, almost on top of each other, were the names James Potter and Lily Evans.

"What?" she exclaimed, confused and scandalized at the same time.

James smirked at her, "We charmed it to show us the locations of every person in the castle. It's why we never get caught."

Lily looked up at him in wonder, more than a little impressed, "This is really brilliant magic. How did you do it?"

James seemed to puff up with her compliments and Lily immediately regretted her words, "It took us a good two years to perfect, and we're still trying to work out all the grounds and castle exits. Do you see why this is so valuable, Evans?"

She nodded, finally understanding his plan, "The map will show us who's been sneaking around. Is it really that accurate?"

He looked offended, but sure, "The map is never wrong."

For some reason, Lily believed him, "So we just wait here until we see him? How do we know he'll even be here?"

"We don't. But people are predictable," James reasoned. "I'm willing to bet that he's meeting someone wherever it is he's going, and I'm hoping it will be at the same time."

Lily wanted to argue, but she decided against it. She didn't exactly have any better ideas.

"So how come this room doesn't show up on the map?"

James furrowed his eyebrows, "I'm not sure. Perhaps it's Unplottable. This guy must really have something to hide if he's sneaking to a room with a disappearing door and an Unplottable charm."

Lily looked down at the map again, unable to suppress her admiration of its brilliance, and started when she noticed two names getting closer to hers and James's.

She elbowed James and pointed to the names, Thadeus Avery and Leander Selwynn.

"Slytherins," James hissed under his breath, "Can't say I'm surprised."

Lily couldn't help but be a little relieved that a certain Slytherin's name was missing. She wasn't quite sure how she'd react if she had definite proof that Severus was up to something nefarious. Although, if Avery was involved, then he was already guilty by association.

They watched Avery and Selwynn creep down the corridor until suddenly their names disappeared.

James made a strange sound, and Lily looked over at him.

"Last week," he said in response to Lily's look, "I pulled this out as soon as you had left, hoping to see who it was, but there wasn't anyone there. I guess this explains it."

He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes wearily, "The only reason someone's name should disappear completely is if they're leaving the castle. You don't think…?"

Lily shook her head firmly, "Definitely not. You can't leave the castle except through the entrance hall. Haven't you read _Hogwarts, A History_?"

"Actually I have, and that's bollocks. I know of at least seven ways to get out of the castle beside the front doors."

"But if they were leaving, wouldn't we see their names on the grounds?"

"I told you, we still have a few kinks to work out on the grounds."

"Convenient," she muttered under her breath.

"Hey," he said, suddenly defensive, "If it weren't for the map, we wouldn't have any idea who those creeps were! Now we have names, actual proof."

"_Actually_, we don't have any proof because we don't know where they're going! What are we supposed to do now?" She retorted.

"We wait, and see if they come out," he glared.

She turned away, crossing her arms angrily, "Fine."

"Fine."

They sat together in tense silence for another half hour before James spoke up, "They're leaving!"

Lily sat up straight, "Where are they going?"

"I can't tell yet."

"Should we follow them?"

"They're probably just going back to the Slytherin common room, and we lost the password ages ago."

Lily decided not to ask how he and his friends had obtained the password in the first place. She glared at the names for a moment and frowned as Avery and Selwynn turned in different directions. Then it hit her.

"Wait, a minute! Selwynn! He graduated last year!"

James started in realization, "You're right! What the hell is he doing at Hogwarts?"

"Probably just catching up with his old housemates," Lily muttered sarcastically. "A better question is how did he get in?"

"Let's find out!" James stood up suddenly and opened the door. When he realized Lily was still sitting, he looked back, "Coming, Evans?"

"Hell yes," she said, excited at the prospect of getting answers.

Together, they followed Selwynn downstairs, checking the map every so often, until they reached the fifth floor.

Directly in front of them was a statue of Gregory the Smarmy. He stood with one hand held out in front of him expectantly, as if waiting for a gift.

James slapped his own hand on Gregory's, who immediately bowed low to ground, revealing a large hole above him. James climbed in, and Lily followed.

James smirked at Lily arrogantly as they walked down a narrow hall, "Secret entrance to Hogwarts number three."

"Shut it, Potter" Lily glared, embarrassed at her ignorance. "Where does this come out?"

"Behind the greenhouses," he replied, "Let's go."

They snuck through the tunnel, careful not to catch up with Selwynn, until they reached a solid brick wall.

"What?" Lily exclaimed with a feeling of anticlimax. "A dead end?"

James rolled his eyes and murmured a spell under his breath.

The bricks rolled back, in a manner similar to the entrance of Diagon Alley, creating a large archway.

"Oh," she said, stupidly, blinking in the light cast by the moon outside.

"There he is," whispered Lily, pointing at the garden patch to the right of the greenhouses where Selwynn was moving quickly, a dark cloak drawn over his head.

James and Lily followed him carefully across the grounds until they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Damn," murmured Lily, stopping short.

James, however, looked as if he'd like to continue right into the forest after Selwynn.

"Scared, Evans?" he smirked.

"Yes," she glared, "and with good reason too. We'd be lost within minutes."

James opened his mouth—perhaps to argue—but then closed it after a moment of thought, "What are we supposed to do then?"

"I still think we should do what I suggested last week—go to Dumbledore."

James rolled his eyes, "And I still say, there's nothing to tell him."

"We have names now," Lily pointed out.

"He'll just give us a lecture about how we're only suspecting them because they're Slytherins."

"He wouldn't be wrong," Lily pointed out.

"I suppose that's why you're so worried; are you afraid your precious _Snivellus_ is involved," James muttered under his breath.

Lily felt as if he had slapped her across the face.

He immediately looked like he regretted his words, "I didn't meant that, Evans. I know you're not—I mean he's not your—"

"Save it, Potter," she whispered furiously. "You don't know _anything_ about me."

She turned around, sprinting back towards the castle.

"Evans, wait!" he called after her, running to catch up. "What are we going to do about this?"

"Figure it out yourself, because I'm _done_!" She yelled back.

She ran the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower alone, and James didn't follow.

**A/N: Hurrah if you made it this far!**

**James and Lily have been my OTP since the time I first got into fanfiction (about seven years ago, wow), but I've never actually published a story about them. I've begun many a fic over the years, and each came to nothing. Eventually I realized that I simply didn't have the stamina to write a full-length story, so this baby came about.**

_**King and Lionheart**_** is only going to be five chapters long, so there's really not going to be enough time for character development for anyone (James and Lily being the exception, of course). That doesn't mean you won't see other characters, but if you do, they probably won't have very significant roles.**

**I hope you continue to read and enjoy! And any sort of feedback is encouraged!**


	2. Young Blood

**A/N: Here is the second installment! This chapter is short, and not very plot heavy, but it's very necessary in terms of Lily and James's changing dynamics. I hope you read, review, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This story wouldn't be possible without the brilliant work of J.K. Rowling, and as such, everything belongs to her.**

**P.S. I credit the lyrics from Young Blood to The Naked and Famous, but I actually enjoy the version by Birdy much more than the original. Go check her out!**

**Two**

**-or-**

**Young Blood**

"**We're only young and naïve still, we require certain skills. The motive changes like the wind, hard to control when it begins. The bittersweet between my teeth, trying to find the in-between. Fall back in love eventually."**

**-The Naked and Famous**

October arrived at Hogwarts with all the typical flurry of fall, and tensions between James and Lily seemed near their breaking point.

Any civility that might have existed for that short week in September had dissipated long ago, and Lily was trying her best to forget it had ever happened at all.

And she had succeeded, so far. She returned to her old habits of trying to ignore James's existence, and yelling at him when he wouldn't allow it. For a while, it really did seem like it was all just a strange, twisted nightmare. That is, until they ended up locked in a room together for four hours.

It started with a duel.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Langley, was not the most qualified witch. She was a bit of a pushover and not very intelligent, so it wasn't all that surprising when she decided it would be a good idea to pair Lily with the Head Boy for a practical demonstration. They were practicing non-verbal spells—something they had already mastered the year before—and it was supposed to be a simple demonstration. One would silently cast a tickling jinx, the other would cast a shield charm. Simple, easy. However, putting two especially volatile students together and basically giving them permission to fight made the demonstration anything but simple and easy.

Needless to say, things escalated rather quickly.

When Langley finally managed the restrain the Head Students with the help of Remus Lupin, the Defense room was in shambles, and several bystanders were mildly injured.

An hour later found Lily and James sitting in the Langley's office, waiting for her return after she had escorted a few of the wounded to the hospital wing.

The two glared in opposite directions, arms crossed.

"Git," Lily muttered under her breath. "This is the first time I've ever had detention."

"I'm _so_ sorry to have ruined your reputation," James muttered back sarcastically.

"We're Head Boy and Girl! We're supposed to set an example."

"Why are you lecturing me? I'm not the one who started the fight."

"Oh, please. You know just as well as I do that you were never going to cast a simple tickling hex, and I was never going to cast a shield charm."

"For your information, I did cast a tickling hex! Did you not see Helen Rivers doubled over in laughter?"

"Rivers is a bit slow, she probably giggles at everything you do."

"Geez, Evans. Could you be more of a judgmental bitch?"

"I don't know, could you be more of an arrogant bastard?"

They were both standing with wands out when Langley returned.

"Honestly, you two," she said furiously, summoning both wands out of their hands and pocketing them. "Deciding to use my classroom to solve your petty problems? The Head Boy and Girl, no less! I have half a mind to send you straight to Dumbledore! But rather than bothering the Headmaster with your childish issues, you're going to stay here and clean my trashed classroom. When I return by eight, I expect both this room _and_ this feud between you to be completely fixed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," Lily and James murmured.

She nodded, "Good. I'll see you in about four hours."

Langley left, locking the door behind her and leaving James and Lily alone.

They immediately moved to opposite ends of the classroom, purposely avoiding eye contact.

By the time it was seven-thirty, they had yet to say a word to one another, and the room was hardly close to being clean.

James, who was attempting to repair a broken desk, threw a wooden leg at the wall in frustration, "Langley is bloody insane."

"Completely mad," Lily nodded, not yet realizing she had just agreed with James Potter.

They looked up at each other in surprise, and then both spoke at the same time.

"Look, Evans, I'm really sorry about—"

"Potter, I shouldn't have overre—"

Lily took a breath, "You first."

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I felt awful about it as soon as I said it. I knew that was a touchy subject, but I was just so frustrated, I couldn't think," he gave her a wry smile, "You tend to have that effect on me. Anyways, I'm sorry about it, and about Snape. And I know I made things worse fifth year as well, so—"

She cut him off, "Please don't apologize for that." She looked down at her shoes, "It would have happened eventually with or without your help. Besides, I should be the one to apologize for that day. I told you that you were as bad as he was," she glanced up at him. His eyes bore into hers, "I didn't really mean it. I know the difference."

James looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, he held out his hand abruptly, "I'll accept your apology, if you'll accept mine," he offered.

She shook his proffered hand quickly and firmly, "I think I can agree to those terms."

They let go and turned back to the mess.

Lily sighed, realizing how much they had left to do, "Fighting with you is exhausting."

"Tell me about it," James laughed lightly

"That's _much_ better." James and Lily turned to see Professor Langley watching them from the doorway. She was smiling. "To be honest, I expected the room to be completely destroyed by the time I got back. And at least one of you unconscious."

Lily was surprised herself. But she knew it was time to fix things with James. That didn't mean they would stop arguing all the time, and it definitely didn't mean that they would become mates overnight, but it was a step in the right direction.

And what a relief that was.

* * *

James and Lily continued to be civil for the next few weeks, much to the shock of the general Hogwarts population.

One day, passing each other in a corridor, James nodded to her and Lily even smiled in response. She hadn't realized what she had done until her friends, Diane and Mary, elbowed her in the ribs simultaneously.

"What was _that_?" Diane asked meaningfully. Lily turned to them, and both were looking at her with wide eyes.

Mary McDonald and Diane Atwater, Lily's long time dormmates and friends, knew her whole sorry history with James, and they'd been subject to many a long-winded rant about his immaturity and arrogance. Thus, they were rather surprised to see Lily purposely direct a smile anywhere close to his vicinity.

"What was what?" Lily asked back, deciding to play dumb.

"_That_!" Diane gestured wildly between Lily and James, now standing a ways down the corridor with the other three Marauders. "Are you two _friends_, now?"

"What! Don't be absurd!" Lily exclaimed.

Mary was watching her with a shrewd eye, "They haven't fought for weeks."

Diane nodded in agreement, "Not since the infamous Defense Against the Dark Arts duel."

"You two are ridiculous!" Lily sputtered. "I hate James Potter!"

"Uh huh."

"Sure."

Lily wanted to scream at them in frustration. Instead, she allowed herself a small smirk as a solution came to her, "Fine, I'll prove it."

Without further ado, she marched over to James and shoved him roughly in the back.

He turned around, looking bewildered, while Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew watched them amusedly.

"Evans?"

"Potter," she said evenly, not daring to look behind her to where Diane and Mary were standing.

"Evans!" Exclaimed Sirius, casually throwing an arm around her shoulder, "I hear you and our Prongs have called a truce!"

She wiggled out of his grip, "They know?" She narrowed her eyes at James.

"We know," answered Peter, donning a serious expression.

"You told them?" She asked again, ignoring Peter's interjection.

"He told us," agreed Remus, nodding solemnly.

Lily sighed, but she was fighting a smile, "You lot are mad."

All four grinned at her widely.

She suddenly remembered why she was talking to them at all, "Potter! Stop smiling like an idiot and fight with me!"

James raised an eyebrow, "Fight you? I thought our fighting was 'exhausting'?"

"It is, but while _your_ mates might be aware of our civility, _mine_ don't. So shut up, and yell at me."

Sirius grinned at Lily devilishly, "Someone likes it rough."

"And you call us mad?" protested Peter.

Remus smiled impishly, "This is sure to be entertaining."

"As you wish, Evans," James bowed his head. Then, raising his voice, he yelled, "You are a stubborn cow!"

Playing along, Lily mock-glared, "Well, _you're_ a selfish pig!"

"Bitch!"

"Bastard!"

"Ah, the classics," murmured an amused Remus.

"Go to hell, Potter!" Lily yelled, then added under her breath, "Thanks for this."

She turned on her heels and walked back to her friends and their gaping mouths.

"I love being right," she smiled, hooking her arms in theirs. Her smile lasted all the way to the Great Hall, paying no heed to their comments about her asinine grudge and her perpetual bitchiness.

But, later that night as she was lying in her four-poster bed, their comments really began to sink in, and they really started to bother her.

She and Potter, friends?

It was ridiculous. Absolutely not. No.

But, she conceded, she could sort of see where they were coming from.

A little.

They weren't fighting anymore, and he had made her laugh that one time in Arithmancy class.

But that hardly constituted a friendship. They were acquaintances, classmates, partners, but not friends.

She nodded firmly to herself and tried not to wonder if she would have a harder time convincing Diane and Mary or herself.

So, she kept up the pretense of hatred.

It was much easier than explaining why she and James had made up and why they had fought so explosively in the first place. That would inevitably lead to a conversation about why they had been alone at all and Lily had agreed that they wouldn't mention their outings to anyone.

And, to be completely honest, Lily wasn't exactly comfortable confiding in Diane and Mary, anyways.

When Lily first came to Hogwarts, her only friend had been Severus—a Slytherin—and this was almost treasonous to her Gryffindor dormmates. Thus, Diane and Mary, along with Catherine Abernathy and Cindy Spinnet, all thought Lily to be rather strange.

Eventually, Lily's dormmates came to accept her, and she had been friends with Mary and Diane ever since. But, her friendships were rather surface-level and shallow: they didn't share secrets, they didn't spend time together every day; for the most part, they merely ate together and sat together in classes.

Lily had only had two best friends in her entire life, and she hadn't had a civil conversation with either in years.

So, rather than divulge a rather embarrassing secret—Lily knew Diane and Mary would never let her live it down if she revealed she'd forgiven James—she decided that keeping them in the dark was for the best.

But, by the next week, Lily was starting to regret her determination to keep up the pretenses of hatred with James.

She desperately needed to talk to him alone.

She couldn't very well accost him in public or the jig would be up, so instead, between Charms class and their lunch break, she strategically bumped into him, knocking his rucksack off his shoulder. She dropped hers as well, quills and books spilling out of both bags.

"What the hell Potter, "she glared as they both bent down to retrieve their things.

Crouching low, she whispered, "The classroom, eleven o'clock."

After he nodded, not without a small look of confusion, she stood back up.

As she walked away, she shot a spell over her shoulder and heard the satisfying _rip!_

She smirked, and could hardly contain a laugh when she heard James mutter "Dammit, Evans" and drop down to the floor once again.

When Lily entered the classroom later that night, James was already there, the Marauder's Map out and on the desk in front of him.

He shook his finger at her playfully as she walked in, "I can't believe Lily Evans _pranked_ me!"

She grinned at him mischievously in response, casually flipping her hair over one shoulder, "I think you'll find I'm full of surprises, Potter."

"I can hardly wait," he smiled in response.

When they grinned at each other for a bit too long, Lily jumped in alarm.

Had she just been _flirting_ with _James Potter_?

She quickly got to the point, and pulled out the Daily Prophet from that morning as she sat across from him.

"Have you read it?" she asked without preamble.

He scanned the front page.

"_**Disappearances Continue; Muggles Still Missing from Aeroplane Crash,"**_it read.

James set the paper back down, "Did you really stage this secret meeting so we could discuss Voldemort's growing boldness and all the muggle bystanders he's murdered?"

"Not that part," Lily replied.

He looked further down the page, "_**Ministry Plans Wizengamot Trials for Early Spring**_?"

"No," she took the paper from his and opened it to the fourth page. She pointed to a small, inconspicuous article about halfway down the page, "There."

He glanced at it and shrugged, "Some piece about the more strict international transportation laws being implemented?"

She pushed it towards him emphatically, "Read it."

He sighed and picked it up, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he read. After a minute, they jumped to his hairline. He read aloud, his voice surprised, _"Leander Selwynn, a young Ministry employee, assures our reporters that the safety resulting from these new procedures will be well worth any inconvenience_."

"Selwynn works in the Department of Magical Transportation," Lily nodded.

James's eyes widened, "Which means he would be able to, say, create a portkey to send him to the Forbidden Forest—"

"And no one would ever notice," Lily finished for him.

"So," James began, "we know that Selwynn illegally travels to Hogwarts at the same time every week, sneaks into a secret entrance, and meets with Avery in a mysterious room?"

"A mysterious room that someone has taken a lot of effort to hide," Lily added.

James nodded in agreement, "And this all adds up to something incredibly suspicious."

"And, if we're honest, we're both thinking it has something to do with Voldemort."

Lily's comment hung in the air for a moment on an eerie note.

"Now the only question is: what are we going to do?"

Lily was tired of playing this cat and mouse game, "I want some answers."

James gazed at her with a question in his eyes, "How far are you willing to go to get them?"

She looked back at him with a fierceness she normally reserved for their heated arguments, "As far as it takes."


	3. Shake it Out

**A/N: Hello, again! I don't really know how many of you out there are reading this, but I hope you're enjoying it. To be honest, I _needed_ to write this, reviews or no, but, feedback is always appreciated :) Anyways, here's chapter three, which means only two chapters left!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing her characters for the sake of my sanity!**

**Three**

**-or-**

**Shake it Out**

"**And I've been a fool and I've been blind, I can never leave the past behind. I can see no way, I can see no way. I'm always dragging that horse around, our love has pastured such a mournful sound, but tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground. 'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn, and it's always darkest before the dawn."**

**-Florence + The Machine**

Lily dreamed she was dying.

The walls around her were burning, the air choking her with smoke. She was curled up in a ball in the center of the room, simply waiting for the end to come.

And then, she realized that there was still hope.

She was a _witch_.

She pulled her wand out of her jeans, and shot a spell at the fire.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

Not even sparks flew out of her wand. Tears were now running down her face in frustration. Just as it seemed like the smoke would consume her, a hand came out of nowhere—

—and wrapped itself around her throat.

"It's destroyed you, just as I said it would," spoke a familiar voice.

_Petunia_, her sister.

Lily awoke screaming, but she wasn't making a sound—someone was covering her mouth.

Panic set in, and she immediately flailed her limbs. She tried to reach for her wand, but before she could cast any spell, James Potter appeared in front of her.

She stopped struggling and glared instead as he tucked his invisibility cloak back into his robes. He held one finger up to his mouth and nodded to her sleeping roommates. She reluctantly pushed herself out of bed and barely had the sense of mind to grab her dressing gown before following James out of her dormitory.

They didn't speak until they had crawled out through the portrait hole.

"What the hell, Potter," Lily shoved him roughly, "I almost cursed you."

He looked apologetic, "I didn't mean to scare you, but I could tell you were having a nightmare and I didn't want you to wake anyone.

"What was it about?" he added curiously.

Lily ignored the question, "Why were you in my dorm in the first place?"

James looked as if he only just remembered the reason himself, "Right! Selwynn is back, and Avery brought friends this time."

"How many?" Lily asked.

"About ten."

"Shit," Lily muttered. Then she shook her head, "What are we waiting for? You can explain the details on the way."

James filled her in as they hurriedly made their way towards the abandoned classroom that had become their hiding place.

"I was checking the map for reasons I'd rather not disclose at this moment…"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"…when I noticed a suspicious amount of names on the seventh floor. I had just seen Avery come and go from the room when Selwynn appeared in front of the statue of Gregory the Smarmy."

Lily stopped abruptly, something in her brain clicking. "What did you just say?"

James furrowed his eyebrows, "Selwynn appeared in front—"

Lily shook her head, "Not that. Before. About Avery. Your exact words."

"Er, I saw Avery come and go—"

"Of course! I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" Lily slapped herself on the forehead.

James was still watching her with a bewildered look, "Care to translate for those of us not privy to the inner thoughts of Lily Evans?"

Lily didn't answer, but grabbed his wrist and began dragging him in the opposite direction opposite.

"Er, Evans? Lily? Where are we going?"

"Library," she said, paying no mind to his complaints and comments.

She didn't stop until they were outside the door. She paused; Lily wasn't against staying out past curfew to a point, but something just felt wrong about sneaking into the _library_ of all places late at night.

"Should we…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, please," said James, pushing her aside and walking through the doors.

Taking a deep breath, Lily followed.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing here?" asked James, following her over to the History section.

Lily scanned the K's, "I was here last month, researching the disappearing room. I read something and didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now—Aha!"

She pulled out a large tome and carried it over to the nearest table.

James sat down next to her, "_Hogwarts and Me: the Autobiographical Tale of a Young Man's Education by Nicholas Kilgore._ How invigorating," James snorted.

"It was rather boring," Lily agreed, flipping the pages hurriedly. She finally found what she was looking for and smiled in triumph, "This is it! I ignored it at first, not able to see the connection, but now I'm sure it can't be coincidental that he mentions a room that disappears periodically."

She ran her finger down the page until she came upon the sentence, "_I told my dear friend Nelly, the house-elf, about this strange bathroom that seemed to come and go, and she smiled, saying that it was her 'most favourite' room in the entire castle. I did not bother asking why she loved a bathroom so much._"

Lily closed the book with a triumphant _snap!_ "Do you see?"

"You think a bunch of Death Eaters are getting together in a bathroom?"

In the name of their still-new attempt at civility, Lily decided not to slap him. "I don't see you having any better ideas! Besides, don't you find the house-elf's comment a little strange? What if it's not _just_ a bathroom?"

James looked to be considering it, "That's actually a fair point. It's too bad we can't interrogate this house-elf ourselves."

"I know," Lily sighed.

They sat in silence for a moment until James suddenly sat up straight, "Or maybe we can! Quick, when was this book written?"

Lily opened the book to the front, "1895? You can't honestly think a house-elf from eighty years ago is still around?"

James smiled at her, "Sometimes, Evans, I forget you're muggle-born."

Lily tried not to be offended by his patronizing voice, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He ignored her, and this time he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the library, ignoring her protests and comments ("We can't just leave the book sitting out like that!").

Lily, not able to keep up with all the secret passages and short cuts James led her through, was soon lost. Until, at last, they reached a portrait with a large bowl of fruit.

"The kitchens?" Lily asked bewildered as James tickled a pear in the portrait.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted enthusiastically by two elves in spite of the late hour.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans! We is so happy to have visitors!"

"It's good to see you too, Pip," James nodded in the direction of a slightly plump elf and then turned to a female elf who looked ready to cry in excitement, "A pleasure as always, Addie."

"May we get you some tea, sir?" asked Pip.

"Or perhaps some biscuits, Mr. Potter?" added Addie eagerly.

James waved off their offerings, "No thank you. Listen, Evans and I need to talk to Tippy. Would you mind telling her I'm here?"

Pip bowed deeply, "Pip would be honored to help Mr. Potter."

Addie curtseyed, "Addie would do anything Mr. Potter asked! Mr. Potter and his friends are always so kind to us."

They both disappeared with a snap!

Lily raised an eyebrow.

James shrugged, "We like food."

Soon, a new house-elf returned in place of Pip and Addie. Her skin was so wrinkly, it seemed as if it was dragging the ground, and her long ears drooped down on both sides of her head. But her eyes still glimmered with glee and excitement.

"James Potter!" She greeted enthusiastically. "Old Tippy is so happy to hear he has come to visit her! And he brought the pretty and nice Miss Evans with him! Is he wanting Tippy to make him something for his date!"

Before Lily could correct her, James laughed, "We both know Lily would never go out with a scoundrel like me," he shot her a wink. "We actually need your help with something else."

Her grin was wide, and Lily thought a little creepy as she replied, "Anything for you, sir!"

"You're the best Tippy," James grinned charmingly. Lily rolled her eyes. "Do you remember an elf by the name of Nelly? She would have been working here around the time you first started."

"Oh, Tippy does remember Nelly! She taught Tippy how to make such a splendid pudding! Would Mister Potter and Miss Evans like Tippy to make them some?"

"Maybe some other time," replied Lily, kindly. "We were actually wondering about Nelly's knowledge of the castle."

"She once told someone that her favorite room in the entire castle was a bathroom on the seventh floor. Do you know what she's talking about?" Continued James.

Tippy pulled on the edges of her tea towel, stamped with the Hogwarts crest like every other house elf, as if deep in thought.

"The door to this room isn't always there," Lily added. "It can disappear."

Recognition gleamed in Tippy's large eyes and James and Lily grinned at each other in triumph.

"The Room of Requirement!"

"The room of '_Requirement_?'" echoed James.

"We also calls it the Come and Go Room," continued Tippy.

"Of course!" said Lily. "What is this room exactly?"

Tippy looked delighted, "It's a room that only appears when someone has need of it! When they enter it, they find it filled with whatever they might need! We find the most excellent cookbooks and ingredients there when we run short."

"And if you needed a bathroom?" asked Lily, thinking of Nicholas Kilgore's autobiography.

"It would fill itself with chamber pots, miss!" Squeaked Tippy, clapping her hands in excitement, "It is a most splendid room!"

"So, how can you make it appear?" asked James eagerly.

"You must needs walk past the bit of wall across from Barnabas the Barmy's tapestry three times, concentrating on exactly what you require, sir."

James shook Tippy's hand excitedly, "Thank you so much, Tippy!"

When he let go, tears of joy were welling up in Tippy's large eyes, "Anytime, Mr. Potter," she blubbered, flustered at James's praise.

Lily gave Tippy a handshake as well, and then looked to James.

His eyes were fierce with adrenaline and anticipation.

"Shall we?" he asked.

Lily grinned, "Let's go."

James and Lily ran as fast as they could back up to the seventh floor, checking the map along the way.

"I can't find Avery anywhere, so I'd say there's a pretty good chance they're all still in there."

Lily let James's comment stand as they continued on.

They were out of breath by the time they reached the corridor.

"Do you mind if I…?" James asked, gesturing to the blank wall behind him.

"Go right ahead," Lily replied sitting against the opposite wall. She honestly wasn't sure how to start. Also, that run had really winded her.

He paced up and down the corridor three times, his face scrunched. Lily couldn't help but find him rather endearing when he was concentrating.

_Endearing?_

"Merlin, this has been a long night," she muttered under her breath.

James stopped suddenly, his face expectant.

And nothing happened.

"Fuck," he muttered and began the trek again.

After his third time of failure he turned around, finally noticing the cheeky grin on Lily's face.

"I'd like to see you do better, Evans," he grumbled, taking her seat as she stood.

Lily confidently paced three times up and down the corridor, all the while thinking hard: _I need to see the place where Avery is going . . . Show me where Avery is hiding . . . I need to see what Avery is planning . . ._

She stopped and turned to face the wall, feeling fairly confident.

Nothing happened.

She whipped around when James let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Brilliant work!" He quipped.

Lily glared back, "Oh, shut it, James"

She sat next to him against the wall.

Lily asked the obvious question on both their minds, "Why isn't it working?"

James shrugged, "I guess our wording is off."

Lily let out a huff in frustration.

They had been sitting for a couple of moments in silence, both lost in their thoughts, when suddenly, the door appeared right in front of them.

Lily stood up in excitement, ready sprint to the door before it disappeared again. But before she could take a step, James grabbed her by the arm and tugged her backwards. She stumbled and then fell, landing unceremoniously in his lap.

She opened her mouth to protest angrily, but James silenced her with one hand and had just managed to throw a familiar, light cloak over them when the door opened.

Lily stifled a gasp, and was suddenly thankful for James's quick thinking.

Thadeus Avery peeked his head out of the door cautiously before going back inside. A moment later he reappeared and was joined by two others.

Lily held her breath as they stepped into the corridor.

James removed his hand from her mouth and grabbed her forearm, and Lily suddenly remembered that she was sitting in James Potter's lap.

She stiffened, her back burning where it was pressed against his warm chest, her arm itching as he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

She suddenly felt a warm breath on her ear, causing shivers to run down her spine.

"Follow them," James whispered.

She stood, careful that the invisibility cloak was still covering them, and James stood soon after. James grabbed her hand and pulled her forward with a tug. They shuffled forwardly quietly until they were within earshot of the group of Slytherins.

"—don't know why we all have to be there. It might draw attention," a deep voice was saying. Lily recognized the voice—Quentin Mulciber.

"Who's going to be walking the corridors at three in the morning on a Monday?" replied the familiar voice of Evan Rosier. "Besides, we have to prepare, and this is the only place we can safely do it. It's easier to sneak one person into the castle than ten into the forest."

"I still don't see why we have to be there," grumbled Mulciber, "I could be in bed right now."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to help the Dark Lord!" hissed Avery, speaking for the first time.

Lily and James exchanged wide-eyed looks, gripping each other's hands tightly.

"Now will the two of you shut your damn mouths?" continued Avery. "The last thing I want to do tonight is perform a memory charm on Filch when he catches us."

Lily and James followed the group all the way back to the Slytherin common room and they remained silent the rest of the way.

When the door shut behind the Slytherins, James pulled Lily into a nearby broom closet. He quickly shut and locked the door, pulling off the invisibility cloak.

They stood quietly for a moment, trying to grasp what they had just overheard.

They both had expected something involving Voldemort, but there was no excitement in discovering their instincts true. All Lily felt was dread and fear.

"I feel just as confused as ever," she said, breaking the silence.

"Me too," agreed James.

"The only thing we know for certain is that they're helping Voldemort."

"And that they're preparing for something," James added.

Lily played with the ends of her hair thoughtfully, "You know, one thing confuses me still. He said they're 'helping' Voldemort, not that they've joined him."

"Does it matter, Lily? Just because they haven't joined him yet doesn't mean they won't."

"I suppose that's true. I still just think it's odd that he's placing this mysterious plan in the hands of a few Hogwarts students."

"That must be why they've been meeting with Selwynn. He's supervising them."

"You're probably right, but it just doesn't add up. What are they planning? And more importantly, _when_ are they going to act?"

James clenched his jaw, "We _need_ to get into that room."

Lily nodded in agreement, and then asked the question she'd been avoiding ever since she heard the voices of Rosier and Mulciber, since they'd seen Avery on the map for the first time.

"James, you said earlier that you saw about ten names sneaking around. Do you remember who you saw?"

He sighed, like he had been dreading the question almost as much as she was.

"Yes," he whispered.

Lily didn't need to ask him whom he saw—she could see the answer in his eyes.

Severus Snape was helping Voldemort.

* * *

"What's your count up to?"

It was a month later, and Lily was sitting in the Library alone. She engrossed in a Potions essay, when James's voice caused her to jump.

"James!" she exclaimed.

"Hey," he grinned at her flustered state, sitting down at the table across from her.

He continued to stare expectantly at her and she remembered that he had asked her a question. "29," she replied with a smug grin.

"Impressive." James smirked, "I made it to 47 about five minutes ago."

Lily's eyebrows shot up, "Wow, you've been busy."

He shrugged, "I haven't been able to sleep recently, so I thought I'd do something useful with my time."

"Like stalking some Slytherins?" she teased.

"Exactly," he agreed.

"James, I think we might be a _little_ obsessed with this."

"I think you may be right," he laughed.

"Did James Potter just admit that I was right about something?"

"Don't get used to it. It was done out of pity."

"Pity?"

"I feel sorry for beating you so badly. _Twenty_-nine, was it?" he smirked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You realize that a lower number would be better in this case?" she pointed out. "That means I've failed less than you have."

"To the contrary," he replied, "it means you haven't put in as much effort as I have."

"Don't be bitter just because you're absolute rubbish."

"Like you're any better!"

"Shut up!"

"Original."

They grinned at each other widely. Both attempted to stifle their laughs so as to avoid the wrath of Ms. Pince, the touchy librarian.

James pulled a large textbook and some parchment out of his rucksack, plopping them onto the table.

At Lily's inquisitive look, he explained, "I might as well do some homework since I'm already at the library."

"James Potter!" Lily exclaimed, "I do believe this Head Boy-ship has turned you into _quite_ the studious pupil."

"Don't count on it," he snorted. "I'm just too bloody tired now to do it at night, so I'm forced to work in broad daylight."

Lily shook her head, smiling, "You'll never change, will you?"

"Never," he affirmed, solemnly. "Now, let's get to it!"

She laughed, but she returned to her Potion's essay as he began poring over his Transfiguration book.

Lily looked down at her parchment and realized she had repeated the same sentence twice. She scribbled it out, trying to focus and clear her head, but after she had reread the same paragraph four times, she realized it was futile.

She looked up, watching James work closely.

He was engrossed in his reading, his eyebrows furrowed and his fingers tapping lightly on the table. Even as she watched, James ran a hand through his hair, mussing it every which way. It was a familiar gesture, and one Lily had misunderstood for a long time. He wasn't trying to make his hair look cool—instead, it seemed to be a nervous gesture, something he did unconsciously.

There were so many things about James Potter that Lily had misunderstood.

"Are we friends?"

She asked the question abruptly, interrupting their relative silence and causing him to look up at her in alarm. She was rather surprised herself.

James frowned, "I'm not sure. Are we?"

She shrugged, "It kind of seems like it. I mean, ten minutes ago we were laughing together. And we haven't argued with each other in weeks."

"And we have been working together for months to solve the mystery of the Come and Go Room," James added.

"And we've started doing our Head duties as a team instead of separately like we did at the beginning of the term," she concluded.

James smiled at her, the answer clear now, "Who would have thought? James Potter and Lily Evans: _friends_."

She laughed lightly and covered her face with her hands, "Mary and Diane will never let me live it down."

"I think the lads will be pleased—especially Remus." He grinned at her teasingly, "He won't have to play at mediator anymore."

"What will Hogwarts do without the two of us for entertainment?" She could imagine the reactions of their fellow students—they ranged anywhere from slightly startled to completely astonished.

"I'm sure the Marauders could think of something to fill the void," James suggested mischievously.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." A beat, "Are you going to turn me in?"

"Probably not," she mimicked.

"Lily Evans letting me get away with something?" His hand gripped his chest as if in shock.

"Isn't that what friends are for?" she grinned back.

They grinned at each other a bit too long, and Lily had to mentally shake herself in order to look away. Something about James's eyes just seemed to drag her in.

"So," Lily began abruptly, clearing her mind, "do they know?"

She had been curious for a while now, but she had only just summoned the courage to ask.

"Does who know what?"

She sighed, "Do the Marauders know about all of this?"

"Our newfound camaraderie?" He laughed, "Well, I think they've noticed we've been getting on well together."

"That's not what I meant." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "You know, _this_—the forest, the Come and Go Room, Selwynn?"

Finally catching her meaning, James's eyes widened and he shook his head, "They don't know."

Lily let out a sigh of relief, not quite sure why James's secrecy was comforting.

"I don't know why I've kept it from them, to be honest," he shrugged. "We tell each other everything."

Lily put her hand on his arm in a comforting manner, "_We_ don't even know what's going on. There's no use telling anyone until we figure it all out."

"I know, but I hate lying to them," he replied, staring at the desk in evident frustration.

"If only we could figure out how to get into that damn room," Lily sighed. "Then none of this would matter."

"Too bad the term ends tomorrow." He looked up and grinned at her, "I think this is the first time I haven't been excited to go home for the holiday."

Lily smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "Sadly, I haven't been excited for Christmas in a few years now. It's actually my least favorite holiday."

James looked outraged, "What? Christmas is _wonderful_! You've obviously never been to the Potter festivities. Why is the Evans celebration so dreary?"

"Let's just say home doesn't quite feel like it anymore," she answered simply, unwilling to reveal anything more.

When James looked as if he would like to question her more, she stood and cut him off, "I suppose I should start packing."

She picked up her things quickly, ignoring the imploring look she knew James was giving her, "I'll see you in January, James."

She shot him a small smile.

He yelled at her back at she walked away, ignoring the wrath of Ms. Pince, "Happy Christmas, Lily!"

As soon as she was out of the library doors she released her breath. She felt hot all of the sudden and it took her a moment to realize why.

Petunia. The dream.

She could hear the words Petunia spoke as she slowly choked her, her voice filled with hatred and malice, "_It's destroyed you, just as I said it would_."

Lily sank to the ground, breathing heavily.

"So I guess it's actually true," said, perhaps, the only voice Lily wanted to hear less than that of her sister's.

Lily jumped up and whipped around, "Get the _hell_ away from me."

Severus Snape ignored the vehemence in Lily's tone, and took a step closer, "I saw you just now. With _him_. How can you stand to be in his presence? You've always loathed him! Do you think he's _changed_? Don't be naïve, Lily; Potter is still just as arrogant as he's always been. And now you're _friends_?" He said the last word with a vicious sneer and, to Lily, it sounded like he was calling her a mudblood all over again.

"_No_!" Lily hissed.

She'd been able to push him to the back of her mind for the past month, but her earlier revelation came back to her all at once. _Severus Snape was helping Voldemort._

"You called me a _mudblood_ and chose your Death Eater friends, and now you don't _get_ to know who my friends are!" she yelled. "You don't get to know _anything_ about me! Stop pretending like you have a right to know my business, and stay the _fuck_ away!"

Lily turned on her heel, but stopped when she was halfway down the corridor. She turned. Snape was still standing in the same place, his face stricken.

Perhaps it was cruel, but Lily didn't really give a damn anymore.

"And for your information, _James_ has been a better friend to me in the past month than you _ever_ were."

She didn't stay long enough to see his face contort with pain or anger, but she could imagine. She was furious at his presumption, his persistence. She wanted to scream, to curse him, to never have to see him again. But, somewhere, buried under two years of bitterness and grief, Lily's heart broke just a little.

_Severus Snape was helping Voldemort._


	4. Chemical Reaction

**A/N: So, this chapter kind of ran away from me. The end kept getting longer and longer and I found the beginning needed to be cut because of it. So the first half of this chapter was completely rewritten and I had to take out a few parts that I adored. But, the new beginning flows so much better now and makes more sense in terms of the storyline. As always, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is a goddess, and I'm her priestess.**

**Four**

**-or-**

**Chemical Reaction**

"**I keep my heart on a string for you. Keep my eyes on the narrow, not to stray. 'Cause you know better, and you know why I'm shouting your name out loud, so loud. It's a chemical reaction, I can feel the time just slipping by."**

**-Sucr****é**

"Lily! Come downstairs for supper!"

Lily jumped at the sudden noise, dropping the quill she had just been writing with.

"In a minute, Mum!" She shouted in return.

The winter holiday had started a couple of weeks ago and Lily was past ready to go back to Hogwarts.

Petunia, luckily, had been staying with a friend since Boxing Day, so, it was just Lily and her parents in the house. And Lily was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She loved her mum and dad, but they had been slowly drifting apart as of late, and Lily didn't know how to stop it or even if she could.

Lily lived in a completely different world from her family for the majority of the year, and it was hard to relate to them during her short time in their world. She felt like she had to constantly explain things to them, and she had trouble finding the patience for it. Lily knew it wasn't their fault; it was just the way things were. She couldn't live in two worlds forever, and she knew which she would choose when the time came.

So, Lily passed most of her days at home reading by the fire or writing letters to her friends.

She added her signature to the bottom of the letter she had just finished, folded it up, and carried it to Adele, her tawny owl.

"Take this to Diane please?" Lily asked, rubbing her feathers. "And try not to bite her this time."

Diane was all alone in the castle—Mary and their other roommates had gone home—so she had been writing Lily every day to keep herself entertained.

Adele hooted at Lily and nipped her finger affectionately. She laughed as the owl flew out the window, "You cheeky thing!"

Lily turned around, intending to join her mother downstairs, only to find a thin, pale face staring at her from the doorway in disgust.

"Finally lost it, have you?" Petunia Evans asked. "I see you've resorted to talking to animals."

"Splendid seeing you too, Tuney." Lily said flatly, brushing past her.

Lily had done a good job avoiding Petunia for the first half of the holiday and it had been like a breath of fresh air when she left to stay with her friend. But now, it appeared that she was back. Normally Lily wouldn't turn away the opportunity to fight with her sister—she thoroughly enjoyed getting a rise out of her—but her dream still haunted her.

"_It's destroyed you, just as I said it would."_

Was that what her relationship with Petunia was destined to become? Sure, they bickered constantly, but would that eventually turn into malice and hatred? As much as Lily loved to torment and annoy her sister, she knew that she still loved her. Didn't Petunia feel the same way?

The smell of her mother's cooking brought Lily back to the present. She entered the kitchen, watching her mother bend over the stove. Dorothy Evans was a patient woman—far more patient than either of her daughters—who had given up any sort of ambitions to raise her two children. Lily couldn't help but admire her for that, and she often wished she could be as sweet and unassuming as her mum.

But, alas, Lily wasn't exactly known for being reasonable or indulgent.

"What are we having?" Lily asked, sitting down at the table in the corner of the room and picking up the muggle newspaper on its surface.

"Stew. Is that alright, darling?" answered her mother distractedly.

Lily scanned the front page, barely paying attention to the articles that had little to do with her life. "Sure, Mum.

Her father entered the kitchen, sitting beside Lily and giving her a warm smile. Philip Evans was almost as different from his daughter as his wife was—he was quiet and steady, always someone Lily could count on for silent comfort.

Lily handed him the paper with a return smile, deciding there was no use in her reading it.

Petunia walked in about that time, glaring at Lily wordlessly. They usually tried not to fight in front of their parents, and Lily was grateful for that tonight. Petunia walked to the seat the farthest away from Lily, and as she sat down, Lily noticed she kept nervously fiddling with her left hand. Lily's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and then she couldn't help but gasp when she noticed what was on her sister's finger.

"Are you alright, Lily?" asked Philip, looking up over his newspaper. Even her mum looked away from her cooking to make sure Lily was okay.

But, Lily only had eyes for Petunia and the next words escaped her mouth before she could stop them, "You're _engaged?_"

Petunia looked as if she'd like to murder Lily right there in the kitchen.

Their mother let out a squeal of surprise, dropping a pot and splashing boiling water all over the floor.

Philip sat his newspaper down on the table and gave Petunia his full attention, something almost as shocking as Petunia's apparent engagement.

Petunia sat frozen in her seat, and then whispered timidly, "We were going to tell you tomorrow."

Dorothy calmly stepped over the puddle of hot water on the floor and sat down at the remaining chair at the table, "When did this happen, dear?" she asked, placing a reassuring hand on Petunia's arm.

"Last night," she replied, "Vernon and I had the entire day planned out for tomorrow. He was going to invite you over for tea at his parent's house and we were going to tell you all together."

Lily gaped at her sister. She hadn't known Petunia was even seeing anyone, much less that she had a boyfriend she was serious enough about to marry. "Who's Vernon?" she couldn't help but asking, perhaps a bit angry at being kept in the dark.

Petunia whipped around as if she'd forgotten her sister's presence completely, "What do _you_ care?" Petunia bit back bitterly. "It's not as if you've ever wanted to know what's going on in my life before."

Ignoring Petunia's harsh words, their mother explained, "Petunia's been seeing Vernon for about a year now, Lily."

A _year_? Lily tried to push down the guilt creeping into her gut. It wasn't as if Petunia asked about _her_ life either.

"And you're both okay with this?" asked Lily, looking to her mother and father. "She's barely nineteen!"

"This is none of your _damn_ business!" hissed Petunia, standing up and glaring at Lily with nothing short of hatred. Lily's breath caught as she recognized the loathing in her voice; it was precisely the same tone she'd used in her dream.

Philip stood as well, "That's enough," he said firmly, signaling the end of the argument.

His wife let out a sad sigh, "Can't you two just put aside your differences for once? This should be a happy occasion! Our Petunia, getting married!"

Petunia sat back down, allowing a rare, content smile to cross her face, "I can hardly believe it."

Lily, still shaken by Petunia's words, excused herself. While her mother was disappointed, Petunia looked happy, so that was good enough reason for Lily to return to her room. She sat down heavily at her desk, head in her hands.

How had things become so poisonous between her and Petunia?

Before she could ponder the question, a sharp pain in her arm drew her attention. She sat up sharply to see a vaguely familiar owl perched on the desk next to her, letter in mouth.

Lily sighed and, rubbing the beak mark on her arm, took the letter from the owl. "Did you have to attack me?" she muttered as she opened the envelope. Her eyebrows furrowed as she recognized the handwriting.

_Lily,_

_I am simply out of my mind with boredom. Sirius has been staying with his uncle for the past week, Remus is tending to his sick mum, and Peter's in Wales visiting his family. Since the abandonment of my friends, I've become increasingly more lonely by the day, and now I fear I'm slipping into a deep depression. _

_Then I remembered that you went home dreary about the holiday, so I figured we might as well bask in our misery together. _

_So, what's your excuse?_

_James_

_P.S. Please write back in a timely manner seeing as I'm about to go mad. _

In spite of her dreadful mood, Lily couldn't help but grin at the letter. It was terrible and perfect and just so _James_.

Without thinking about it, she pulled out a clean piece of parchment and her quill and began composing a reply.

_James,_

_You're awfully whiney for a boy who, according to his own enormous ego, has everything going for him. From the way you talked about the holidays before the end of term I assumed you'd be hosting parties at the Potter house every other day. You, sir, are either incredibly spoiled or you're a liar. Probably both. Why don't you spend time with your parents? I've heard Sirius on occasion speak rather highly of them._

_I, for one, told the complete truth about my home life. The first half of the holidays was quite dull and unexciting, but you happened to write me on a particularly awful night. For, you see, I might have just ruined my sister's plans by exposing her recent engagement in front of our parents. Completely accidentally, of course, especially when you consider the fact that I didn't even know she had a boyfriend until an hour ago. _

_I suppose I should provide you with some background. Petunia, my sister, and I don't exactly get along. Ever since I received my letter to Hogwarts and she didn't she's been incredibly jealous and bitter. We typically try to stay out of each other's way, but when we're in the same room together, it normally turns into an explosive argument (not unlike you and I a few months ago)._

_But, after tonight, I've been feeling something I haven't felt in a long time: guilt. I mean, I obviously can't blame myself for being a witch, but am I wrong to always antagonize her? _

_I'm not quite sure why I'm telling you all this. I suppose we really are friends now. That is such a strange feeling, but, perhaps not a bad one. _

_I hope this was sufficient entertainment; I only live to amuse you, after all._

_Lily_

_P.S. Don't worry about making up excuses for Remus around me; I've known the truth for quite a while now. _

Writing James about the entire messy situation was strangely cathartic, and Lily thought she might have figured out at least a partial solution to her question.

An hour later found Lily doing something she rarely did without prodding: apologizing.

She knocked on Petunia's door lightly.

"It's open," came Petunia's voice, and Lily opened the door slowly.

Petunia was lying on her bed, her head buried in a romance novel as Lily hesitantly entered. Petunia looked up and her eyes darkened at the sight of her sheepish sister.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly.

Lily closed the door behind her and carefully sat on Petunia's bed beside her. "Why do you think we can't get along?" she asked, voicing her earlier concerns.

Petunia frowned, obviously not expecting this turn in conversation. "Because you're a freak," she answered simply, shrugging.

Lily let the insult roll over her and then nodded calmly, "I think you're right." Petunia raised a thin eyebrow and Lily continued. "I'm a witch—" Petunia flinched "—and you're a muggle. That's never going to change."

Petunia looked furious, and Lily remembered the time when Petunia wrote Dumbledore himself, begging him to let her into Hogwarts. "What's your point?" she whispered harshly, obviously remembering as well.

"Our differences are irreconcilable." Lily continued, "We're probably never going to get along, and that's okay. Rather than constantly bickering and upsetting Mum and Dad, maybe we should just accept our relationship for what it is and move on."

It was sad. Lily was basically admitting that they'd never be friends, never be as close as sisters were supposed to be, but coming to terms with their relationship was surely better than their bitter arguments and harsh insults.

Lily looked to Petunia and they made eye contact. And, in that moment, for perhaps the first time in their lives, they understood each other completely. Petunia's eyes softened infinitesimally and she gave Lily the slightest of nods.

Lily stood, knowing there was nothing left to say, and made to leave.

"This doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling you a freak," called Petunia just as Lily reached the door.

Lily stopped and smiled lightly without turning around, "I wouldn't have it any other way.

The next morning Lily woke with a slight sense of melancholy, but she also felt a deep-seated peace. She smiled contentedly as she stretched, her grin growing as she noticed the owl sitting outside her window. She crawled out of bed and let James's eager owl in, catching the letter it dropped into her hands.

_Lily,_

_I have a proposition for you—the lads and I have decided to throw a New Year's Eve bash at my place this year, and, in the name of our new friendship, I'd really like it if you came. And maybe you can meet the infamous Potter's while you're here, since you're so curious about them._

_Let me know your answer soon._

_It had better be a yes._

_James_

_P.S. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough with me to share your family issues. If you ever need help tormenting your sister (or her new fiancé), you know where to find me. _

Lily grinned and scribbled out a quick response before running downstairs. Lily was anxious to tell her mum that she officially had plans for New Years.

* * *

A few days later found Lily Evans apparating to a place she'd never been before and had, honestly, never expected to go—the house of James Potter.

_Or rather, mansion_, Lily observed as she looked on the grand façade of the house.

"Damn," she muttered, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all. She was standing about a hundred meters away from the entrance, in a small garden that had been chosen as the apparition point.

"Intimidating, isn't it?" asked a voice behind her.

She turned to see Remus Lupin smiling at her encouragingly.

"Remus!" She exclaimed, happy to see a familiar face. "How's your holiday been?"

Remus's smile faded slightly, "It's been tough. But, according to James you already knew that. Is it true?"

"Yes. I know about your," she dropped her voice to a whisper, "lycanthropy."

Remus looked stricken and sad, "I'll understand if things have to change between us."

Lily had expected something like this. She rolled her eyes, "Don't even start, you noble, self-deprecating prat."

She glared at him for a moment and then pulled him into a tight hug.

After she pulled back, she shrugged nonchalantly, "Besides, I've known since fifth year."

"All this time?" A myriad of emotions were passing through his face—relief, bewilderment, incredulity, gratitude. "But, how?"

"You kept rescheduling all our patrols, and. . . well, Snape dropped a lot of hints. He found out, didn't he? On the night when James saved his life?"

Remus nodded, wincing at the memory, "A prank gone wrong that almost destroyed two lives. I don't know what would've happened if James hadn't been there."

Lily smiled in affection, "He's an alright bloke, that James."

Remus grinned, "I do believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said about him."

"Please don't tell him," she pleaded. "Even if his head has deflated a little bit, he's still a cocky bastard."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Remus laughed. "On a more serious note, can I add how glad I am that the two of you decided to settle your feud and actually work together this year?"

Lily laughed, "It's definitely a relief to me as well."

Lily turned back to the Potter estate and sighed at the daunting view, "So are you going to escort me in, or were you just admiring the grounds?"

"Oh right, my assignment!" Remus shook himself back to the present, "Let's go."

He offered her his arm, and together they walked the short distance to the main entrance. Remus held the door open for her and she stepped into the grand foyer. Her breath hitched as she looked around, admiring the high, arched ceiling and the huge windows that were charmed to allow light to flood into the hall at all times of the day.

"This is precisely how I imagined Pemberley or Netherfield," Lily murmured to herself.

Remus, having heard her, grinned knowingly, "Pride and Prejudice?"

Lily raised her eyebrows, "I didn't know you read muggle literature."

"I think you'll find there's a lot you don't know about the Marauders," he replied slyly. "And I spot another right now. Padfoot!"

"Hello, Moony," greeted Sirius Black, looking rather dashing as always. "Lily, you get more beautiful every time I see you. How did you ever end up with this sorry fellow?"

Remus punched Sirius lightly in the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm only using him as my guide in this maze of a house," Lily teased. "Where's James?"

"Entertaining our guests in the ballroom," replied Sirius. "Speaking of which, you'd better get back outside to catch any other stragglers, Moony. I think I can take Lily from here."

"I'll catch you back inside," Remus saluted to Sirius and Lily, and then returned to his station on the grounds.

Sirius offered Lily his arm and winked at her, "Before we make our grand entrance, there's someone James wants you to meet."

They weaved their way through a myriad of halls and rooms, and Lily was soon completely lost. Eventually they arrived at what could only be the kitchen. There were several house elves rushing about, preparing desserts and drinks, disappearing and reappearing periodically, and in the corner of the room, there was a small table where an older witch and wizard were sitting, sipping tea and sharing a _Prophet_.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

Sirius led Lily to the table, and James's parents smiled widely upon their approach.

"You must be Lily Evans," greeted Mrs. Potter. Her smile was kind and warm. She stood and took Lily's hand in both of her own, "It's so great to finally meet you!"

"I'm glad to meet you as well, Mrs. Potter," replied Lily.

Mrs. Potter laughed, "You might as well call me Eleanor, dear. Sirius would have corrupted you sooner or later."

Sirius dropped a kiss on her cheek and grinned at Lily, "She's not wrong."

Lily turned to Mr. Potter and held out a hand, "Hello, sir."

He shook it firmly, his eyes gleaming with mischief—not unlike his son's. "So you're the girl who's been keeping James in line all term."

"Actually, James has done pretty well on his own, Mr. Potter. But I'm always there if he needs a less than subtle reminder of his responsibilities," Lily replied.

"And by 'less than subtle,' she really means a firm kick to the arse," added Sirius.

Lily was worried that Sirius's crudeness would bother Mr. and Mrs. Potter, but both laughed in delight.

"All the better," chuckled Mr. Potter. "Anyone who can stand up to my son earns the right to call me Harold. So, Lily, feel free."

Sirius swung an arm around Mr. Potter's shoulders, "I earned that right at the tender age of thirteen when James nicked my broomstick. Rather than stealing it back, I went over his head and told Harold and Eleanor here."

Mrs. Potter laughed, "James wouldn't speak to Sirius for a week!"

A sort of warmness filled Lily at the affection and laughter between James's parents and Sirius. It was easy to see why James's crooked grin hardly ever left his face.

"The boys talked you up quite a bit," said Mrs. Potter, turning her attention back to Lily. "But you're even more beautiful in person."

Lily flushed at the praise, especially coming from a woman with as regal an appearance as Mrs. Potter. "I'm surprised James had _any_ good things to say about me. Your son and I haven't always gotten along."

Mr. Potter chuckled, "Oh, we know. If I had a knut for every time I heard James mutter 'Bloody Evans' under his breath, I'd own half of England."

Sirius patted Lily on the head in sympathy, "But don't worry, Prongs could never actually hate you."

"I wish I could say the same for myself," Lily said, swatting Sirius's hand away. "I'm not sure if you knew, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, but your son used to be a right foul git."

They laughed again in response. The longer she talked to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, the more she liked them.

"I'm sure he got it all from his father," smiled Mrs. Potter.

Mr. Potter shook his head in mock offense, but then placed his arm around his wife, "He might have got his confidence from me, but his stubbornness is all yours."

Lily couldn't help but smile at the two and she hardly even noticed when Sirius lazily threw an arm around her shoulders.

"I suppose Lily and I should get to the party," he said. "It's probably dreadfully boring without the two of us there."

"Thank you so much for having us," added Lily, reluctant to leave.

Mrs. Potter wrapped Lily in a warm embrace and Mr. Potter clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Come back and see us sometime, Lily!" said Mrs. Potter as Sirius and Lily exited the kitchen.

Once they were outside, Lily turned to Sirius, "So those are James's parents."

He nodded with a knowing smiling, "Harold and Eleanor are probably the most kind-hearted and loving people I've ever met. They hardly batted an eyelash when I came to stay with them last year, they just accepted me like another son."

Lily blinked. Sirius didn't talk about his own family very often, and Lily had almost forgotten his whole history, "That's right, you ran away last summer."

Sirius winced and looked away, "And not a moment too soon. James told me you've been having a tough time at home as well?" he added curiously.

"I swear, you boys gossip like a bunch of old maids," Lily muttered. "Can I not tell one of you something in confidence without the other three hearing?"

Sirius grinned, unaffected by her speech, "Afraid not."

Lily sighed. "It's my sister," she began. "We're kind of complete opposites, and as such, we don't exactly get on well."

"Sounds familiar," Sirius snorted, his gaze darkening. "Regulus and I haven't spoken in years."

Regulus was only a year younger than Sirius, but he was a Slytherin and every bit as prejudiced as Sirius was open-minded.

"How do you move on from the fact that your relationship is shit?" Lily asked bluntly.

"You learn to forget," he said simply. "And you never give up hoping that they'll come to their senses."

Lily laughed, "Sirius Black, the optimist?"

He shrugged, his face still sober, "I guess I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Reg."

Lily nodded, thinking of all the times she'd let Petunia get away with her insults and her dramatics—she was her sister, and that was never going to change.

"Thank you," she said, taking Sirius by the hand.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head quickly, "Don't mention it." Then, a grin lit up his face, "Let's go get drunk, Evans."

They had only just started walking when they met yet another Marauder.

"Hey, Peter," greeted Lily.

He smiled at Lily and Sirius, "James sent me to find the two of you. Moony just got back and said you'd been here for awhile."

Sirius laughed, "Prongs is so predictable, sometimes. I just introduced Lily here to Eleanor and Harold."

"Oh, brilliant!" nodded Peter in recognition. "They're pretty amazing, aren't they?"

"They're wonderful," agreed Lily.

"Pete, would you mind taking Lily to the ballroom? I need to go pick up our delivery."

"Sure thing, Padfoot," Peter replied.

Lily narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but Sirius had already patted her on the head and sauntered away.

"Did James pay you three to babysit me or something?" Lily asked as they made their way through the house once again.

"Not quite. But, now that you mention it, I might ask for some sort of compensation." He teased, "I think I deserve it for performing such a tedious task."

"Oh, shut it," she replied, shoving him lightly. He grinned.

They continued walking in companionable silence until the sounds of the party could be heard faintly.

"So," Lily began casually, "What kind of prank are you lot planning for tonight?"

"We're not?" Peter replied, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh, please. Sirius had to 'pick up a delivery?' You two aren't exactly subtle."

"That's what you're on about?" Peter laughed, "Sirius was going to apparate to Hogsmeade. He needed to pick up some less-than-legal refreshment from the Hog's Head."

Lily's eyes widened in realization, she thought Sirius was being facetious when he suggested they get drunk. Peter saw her look.

"Are you going to go Head Girl on us, Evans?" he asked.

She sighed, "No, I suppose I won't. Merlin, you lot are a bad influence on me."

Peter only grinned in response.

A moment later and they were entering a large archway into the Potter's ballroom. It looked as though everyone from Hogwarts over the age of fifteen had come—except for the Slytherins, of course. Loud music was blaring from one corner of the room. Lily turned her attention in that direction and was surprised to see a live band.

"The Hobgoblins!" Lily exclaimed.

"Harold use to work with Stubby Boardman's father," explained Peter, having to yell to be heard over the loud music. "I'm going to help Padfoot bring the drinks in, do you think you can manage without me?"

Lily waved him on, "Go. I'm sure James is around here somewhere."

He gave her one more cheeky grin before exiting the way they'd come.

Lily wasn't alone for long.

"Lily Evans!" cried a female voice.

Mary had just untangled herself from the large group dancing in front of the Hobgoblins, and ran to greet Lily.

"I didn't expect to see you here!" Mary greeted, hugging Lily briefly.

Lily shrugged with a sheepish smile, "James invited me a few days ago."

"I'm so glad you've realized that he isn't quite as loathsome as you used to think," Mary teased.

Lily laughed, "So am I." She looked around the crowded ballroom, "Have you seen him around?"

Mary shook her head, "I've been too busy dancing to notice much of anything."

"I'm going to go look for him," said Lily. "I'll find you later!"

Mary nodded with a wide smile and returned to the dance floor.

Lily, meanwhile, began pushing through the crowd, trying to find a head of messy black hair. She was just about to give up and get herself a Butterbeer, when he appeared right in front of her.

"Lily!" he greeted loudly, throwing his arms around her. "Where have you been all night?"

She grinned, returning James's embrace.

It struck her suddenly that she was much more excited to see James, or the other three Marauders for that matter, than she had been Mary. She wondered when the four boys had become her closest friends.

"Blame your bloody mates," she murmured moodily into his chest, but not without subtle affection in her voice.

He pulled back and gripped her by the shoulders, staring at her in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Lily laughed.

"I just wanted to get a good look at New Lily Evans!"

"And who is she?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, New Lily Evans lets underage Hogwarts students drink alcohol, and she comes to parties at her worst enemy's house," James explained. "She's a hell of a lot more fun than Old Lily Evans."

Lily hit his arm playfully, "Old Lily Evans _is_ New Lily Evans, you git. You just didn't know her very well."

He slung an arm around her shoulder, "Then getting to know you may have been the best decision I've ever made."

Lily flushed, and then realized he was steering her out of the ballroom and into the long corridor outside it, "Wait, where are we going?"

"Well, I had an ulterior motive for getting you to come to this party tonight," James explained, leading her up a flight of stairs, "So, we're going somewhere more private where we can talk."

Lily was confused, but followed him anyways, "Are you lot keeping me away from the party on purpose?"

James laughed, "It seems that way, doesn't it?"

He grabbed her hand, and pulled her through a long corridor. He stopped abruptly in front of a plain wooden door.

"My room," he told her before opening said door.

She walked in and was immediately greeted with maroon walls and a bright gold comforter on his bed. She wandered around, inspecting the walls. There were a number of Quidditch posters, and quite a few pictures of the Marauders as well. She lingered on a photo of the four boys laughing on the Hogwarts grounds. She could just make out herself in the background, studying with Mary and Diane. She smiled, and turned to face James who was watching her intently.

"This is exactly how I imagined it would be," she commented, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

He raised an eyebrow, "You've imagined what my bedroom would be like?"

Color rose on Lily's cheeks and she glared, "That's not what I meant!"

James laughed at her and sat down in the chair next to his desk—on it sat her letter from a few days ago. It drew his gaze for a moment.

"Is everything okay?" Lily asked, when he didn't add anything.

"Smashing," he replied, but he looked a little nervous. "I wanted to talk to you about the forest."

Lily sat up straight—she had almost forgotten about Selwynn and the Come and Go Room in all the excitement of the holiday.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you," he continued.

"You told your friends, didn't you?" Lily said, her heart sinking. "That's why Remus commented on how well we've been working together. And Sirius basically admitted that you four don't keep secrets. "

James shook his head quickly, "No, it's nothing like that. You know how we followed Selwynn to the edge of the forest but then stopped because we didn't want to get lost?"

Lily nodded, not quite following his train of thought.

"I didn't tell you, because it wasn't my place," he ran a nervous hand through his hair. "But then, I found out you already knew about it. And you were surprisingly open about your sister the other day and, well . . . I figured it was time for me to divulge a secret of my own.

"I wouldn't have got lost in the forest," he explained, standing up and pulling out his wand. "And here's why."

He put his wand to his head, and before Lily could fully comprehend what was happening, James disappeared and a large stag stood in his place.

Lily gasped, realizing at once what he'd done, "You're an animagus!"

The stag nodded its head in a very James-like fashion—a quick, confident movement.

Lily stepped closer and could see faint rectangles around the stag's eyes resembling James's glasses. She lightly touched one of the enormous antlers.

"_Prongs_," she whispered in understanding. "Your nicknames: Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail," she continued, deep in thought. "You're all animagi."

Suddenly, Lily put the pieces together, "You stay with Remus, every full moon."

She sat down on the bed heavily, her head swimming with thoughts. It was a lot to process at once.

The stag, who had been watching her closely the entire time, transformed back into James.

"Ever since fifth year," he replied, sitting next to her.

"You learned to be animagi when you were fifteen?" Lily asked in wonder.

James nodded and then set his jaw as if expecting an argument, "Before you start yelling at me and telling me how foolish and reckless we've been, I just want you to know that what we're doing, it's not about getting a thrill or performing some spectacular magic, it's only about helping our best friend."

Lily put her hand on his forearm, letting him know she wasn't going to argue with him. He sucked in a quick breath and continued, "If it weren't for our company, he'd be locked up in the Shrieking Shack, scratching and biting himself raw. We couldn't stand watching him kill himself slowly, and this was our only solution."

James was looking away, as if he was worried what he'd see if he looked at Lily's face. She observed the worry in his eyes, but, more than that, the fierce desire to help his friend.

"I think it's wonderful," Lily whispered, her hand still holding his arm tightly.

James looked up sharply, and Lily was taken aback by the intensity in his gaze. A sudden warmth filled her, spreading to her fingertips and toes and coming to rest somewhere in her chest. She couldn't have looked away if she'd tried. James turned his arm under her hand until he was gripping it with his own. Lily wet her lips, unconsciously leaning closer.

It wasn't until they were inches apart that Lily realized where she was, who she was with, and what they were about to do. She pulled away abruptly, dropping his hand and jumping off his bed.

She cleared her throat, "So, er—you know the forest?" she asked weakly.

Something like disappointment passed through James eyes, but it quickly disappeared and Lily wasn't completely certain it had been there at all.

"Our presence keeps him calm," he elaborated, going along with Lily's awkward subject change. "He's almost like his normal self sometimes, so we started exploring during his transformations. We've been through the forest loads of times."

"Why haven't you gone into the forest by yourself to investigate?" Lily asked.

He stared at her with all his previous intensity. Lily quickly looked away. "I've thought about it, but it never seemed right without you," he explained.

"Oh," Lily swallowed, confused as to what exactly was happening between them. "So what about now?"

"The next time I notice Selwynn on the map, we'll follow," James replied with a wicked smile. "And we'll save the school."


	5. King and Lionheart

**Disclaimer: The inspiration for this story comes from J.K. Rowling. I own nothing except the ideas in my head.**

**Five**

**-or-**

**King and Lionheart**

**"As the world comes to an end, I'll be here to hold your hand, 'cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart."**

**-Of Monsters and Men**

A few months passed, and Lily had almost forgotten about the mystery of Selwynn and the forest. Her mind was consumed with her ever-approaching N.E.W.T.S. and the thought that in a few short months, Lily would have to leave Hogwarts for good. But, the time did come eventually, on a night that found Lily alone in the common room.

It was a Friday, March the thirtieth to be precise, and Lily was completely lost in her studying. So much so, she hardly even noticed when the portrait hole opened, admitting seven other Gryffindors.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team, all clean from showers in the locker rooms, slouched in tiredly, obviously exhausted from their late night practice. The first six walked directly up the stairs to their dorms, a few shooting Lily waves, but the captain sat down directly across from Lily at her table.

"Studying on a Friday?" grinned James, picking up the paper Lily had been working on and scanning it quickly. "Charms? Even worse."

"Some of us happen to like Charms," Lily said, snatching her paper back. "We can't all be Transfiguration prodigies."

James laughed, "Honestly, I think that's the only reason McGonagall hasn't murdered me yet."

He leaned his chair back on two legs, stretching his arms over his head. Lily purposely avoiding looking at the small bit of toned stomach the peeked out from his shirt. It was bad enough that he was still a bit wet from his shower; she could smell his soap.

"Well, that, and because she's almost as competitive as I am when it comes to Quidditch," he continued, and Lily shook herself mentally. It wasn't the time or the place to reflect on the fact that she'd become ridiculously attracted to James in recent months.

"She does get rather intense, doesn't she?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," James agreed. "Feel like taking a study break? I was about to head down to the kitchens."

"God, yes," replied Lily, immediately standing, gathering her things. She'd been dying for an excuse to quit. "Just let me take this up to the dorm."

Lily absent-mindedly slammed open the door, causing Mary and Diane, both sitting on the latter's bed, to jump.

"Lily!" Diane exclaimed, barely managing to keep herself on the bed.

"Are you finally done studying?" asked Mary.

Lily threw her rucksack on her bed and grabbed a cloak from her trunk, "I'm going on a Kitchen run."

Diane raised an eyebrow, "With whom?"

"James, of course," replied Mary before Lily could answer. "They're practically dating."

"_What?_" exclaimed Lily.

She had not been expecting that. Just because Lily had been spending more time with James than her roommates didn't mean they were dating. It just meant that James challenged her more and made her laugh. It meant their views on the War and Voldemort were much more similar, and they could talk about serious subjects together. But they _weren't_ dating.

But Diane and Mary just laughed.

"Goodbye," Lily said firmly, ignoring her friends' giggles and slamming the door once again behind her.

"Let's go," she said as she ran down the stairs, James waiting at the bottom. She was anxious to forget about her friends' teasing.

As they stepped into the corridor, James pulled out the map. It was already past curfew.

"Filch isn't in his office," James commented as he scanned the map carefully.

Suddenly he started and thrust the map into Lily's arms, "Fourth floor."

She furrowed her eyebrows, looking herself, and then drew in a sharp breath, "Selwynn."

James nodded, "It's time."

They took off at a sprint, hoping to catch up before Selwynn entered the forest and they lost sight of him on the map.

James had just turned a corner in front of her when he turned back and slammed her body against the wall with his own, knocking the breath out of her.

"Filch," he hissed in her ear before turning his head and peering around the corner.

Forgetting all else, Lily was suddenly aware of every inch of James's body.

She gazed at his strong chin in profile, and wondered how she had ever disliked him. Her hands, pinned to her sides, ached to run up his chest and tangle in his hair.

Before she could act on any of these baser instincts, James stepped back.

Lily almost fell at the loss of contact, only just realizing that she had been holding her breath.

James turned to look at her, "I think he's gone."

Incapable of speech at the moment, Lily just nodded and followed him around the corner.

"Students out of bed?" Came the raspy voice of Filch, delighted at the opportunity to punish children. "Oh my, the Head Students as well!" he added as James and Lily stepped into the light.

James winced, as Lily stepped on his foot. _Wasn't he supposed to be good at avoiding Filch? _"Where's that damned cloak of yours," she hissed out of the side of her mouth.

James shot her an apologetic look before replying to Filch. "We're doing Head Business, Dumbledore's orders," he lied smoothly.

Filch narrowed his eyes, "How do I know you're not lying to get out of a detention?"

"We're telling the truth," said Lily desperately.

"I suppose we will just have to ask the Headmaster, then, won't we?" Filch grinned.

Lily and James exchanged glances, understanding passing between them.

James pulled out his wand, and, before Filch could react, he'd stunned him. He turned around, grinning widely at Lily, "I've always wanted to do that."

Lily rolled her eyes.

James dragged Flich by his ankles into an empty classroom, and Lily shut and locked the door.

James pulled out the map again, cursing under his breath, "He's already in the secret passage."

"How are we going to catch him?" The passage was on the fifth floor and James and Lily were still stuck on the seventh.

James looked thoughtful for a moment and then pumped a fist in triumph, "I've got it!

Without telling Lily his brilliant plan, he grabbed her by the hand and began pulling her in the opposite direction.

"We're going to wrong way!"

"It's a shortcut," he replied, grinning at her as they ran. "Don't you trust me?"

They made it outside just in time to see Selwynn enter the trees. They hurried forward, and then hesitated for a moment on the fringes of the forest.

"Are you ready for this?" James asked, a gleam in his eyes that normally meant trouble.

Lily nodded firmly, "Let's end this."

Together, they entered the darkness of the forest.

It was slow going; they had to be impossibly quiet, and the darkness gave them poor sight, meaning they couldn't help tripping over roots and undergrowth. The only sense of direction Lily had was that of Selwynn's wand a ways in front of them.

"Do you know where we are?" whispered Lily as they continued to creep through the woods.

"Yeah," he replied confidently. "There's a clearing about a hundred yards to our left where Wormtail and I once found a herd of unicorns. They fled almost immediately, of course, but it was magnificent all the same."

The sense of awe that Lily always felt when James talked about some of his more exciting adventures filled her once more, and she was left speechless. Without any more words exchanged, the two continued following Selwynn, until they reached what appeared to be the edge of the forest.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he stopped.

James and Lily exchanged a quick, anxious glance—both eager to unravel the mystery at last—and followed him to the edge of the tree line.

Together, they crept to a large oak and peered around it into a wide clearing.

Lily's blood ran cold.

Without thinking about it, she reached for James, and he seemed to be reaching for her at the same moment. Their hands connected and gripped each other tightly. Lily felt herself shaking, and was glad to know that another warm body was beside her.

"James," she whispered, her voice cracking in fear, "what are we going to do?"

She had never been more scared in her life, for there, in the middle of the clearing, were a hundred dead bodies.

But they weren't as lifeless as Lily expected dead bodies would be. These corpses were all standing, poised as if ready to attack should anything disturb them.

Their skin was white, their bodies naked, and their clothes were that of muggles, not wizards. Lily suddenly remembered a prophet article from ages ago, "_muggles still missing from aeroplane crash_." Well, she and James had found them. They were crowded together and seemed eerily still, but there was no mistaking them—Inferi.

Lily wondered what, or—she shuddered—_who_ they were waiting for.

James pulled her by the hand back into the forest and out of earshot from the clearing. They crouched behind a tree.

He put his hands on Lily's shoulders firmly, his jaw set, "_We _are not doing anything. You're going to go back to the castle and get Dumbledore, and I'm going to stay here and distract them."

"_Distract_ a hundred Inferi?" she whispered back furiously. "While I run away like a coward? _Hell_ no."

He gripped her shoulders hard, shaking her a bit, and Lily could tell that he was just as angry and determined as she was. "There's no other way! Dumbledore has to be warned, and someone has to keep an eye on things here."

"Then why can't I stay here while you get Dumbledore?" she argued, shrugging his hands off her shoulders. "You're faster than me."

"_Because you can't get hurt!_" He hissed, close to yelling at her. "I won't let you."

Lily opened her mouth to argue once more, but James grabbed her face and silenced her with a kiss.

It was rough, and not at all like Lily had imagined kissing James to be. He was angry and his lips nearly bruised hers as he pressed his mouth firmly against her own. Before Lily could push him away or draw him closer or react at all, James pulled back, his eyes blazing in a way Lily had never seen before.

He shoved her away from him, and Lily fell back on her hands, too stunned to move. "_Get out of here_," he said, standing. Without another word, he ran back towards the clearing and out of sight.

Brushing away tears of anger and the other countless emotions Lily was feeling, she forced herself to stand and began to sprint in the direction she hoped would lead her back to the castle. She made it about a hundred meters before she stopped. She cursed under her breath, and turned around once more, this time back to the clearing and this time without any doubts.

She neared the tree line and tensed as she heard two voices that definitely did not belong to James. She hastily ducked behind a tree, praying no one had seen her. She cautiously peered around just in time to see two large, darkly dressed men carry an unconscious James into the clearing. Thinking quickly, Lily hit her wand over her head, disillusioning herself, and then crept to the edge of the tree line.

James was lying at the feet of the two Death Eaters, bound and still unconscious. Both men were wearing masks and both were too big to be Selwynn, which meant there were probably more Death Eaters in the forest. How could James and Lily have been so stupid to think they could handle this by themselves?

"What the hell are we supposed to do with him?" asked the taller of the two. He kicked James in the side, and Lily winced.

"How should I know," replied the other with a voice deep enough to cause goose bumps to run down Lily's arms. "The Dark Lord didn't expect any students to get involved."

"He'll be here any minute and who knows what he'll do to us if he finds out a student was creeping around." He shivered visibly and then added in a worried whisper, "What if _Dumbledore_ knows?"

"Relax," replied the other, "If Dumbledore knew, this halfwit wouldn't be out here. I think he decided he'd play the hero and try to stop us all by himself."

"I could have sworn I heard him talking to someone," insisted the first man. "What if he's not alone?"

"We have men spread out all over the place." Deep voice glanced behind him where the Inferi still stood immobile and gave the first man an evil smirk. "No one's going to escape."

Apparently mollified by their, admittedly, good odds, the taller man nodded, "So what are we going to do with this one?"

"I say let's kill him and then dispose of the body," he shrugged, "The Dark Lord will never have to know he was here."

The other Death Eater looked ready to agree, so Lily wasted no more time listening and jumped into the clearing. Both men turned at the sound of the noise, but Lily, still invisible, fired two stunning spells in quick succession.

Caught completely off guard, they both collapsed to the ground.

"Idiots," she muttered to herself, stepping over their bodies.

She knelt beside James, vanishing the ropes tied around him and murmured a quiet, "_Rennervate_."

James's eyes fluttered open slowly, and Lily hit her wand over her head once more, returning herself to normal.

"_Lily?_" he whispered in surprise and anger.

Ignoring the fury in his eyes, she pulled him up, glancing around the clearing.

"Shit," she yelped and grabbed James's hand. Apparently the two seventeen year olds were just what the Inferi were waiting for, because they were no longer still—they were moving straight towards them.

Lily dragged James into the forest, just dodging the thin, shrunken hand of an inferius. They sprinted away, but the Inferi moved at an almost inhuman speed. Apparently dying didn't make you sluggish. She glanced back, and her heart almost stopped at the sight of the corpses pursuing them.

Suddenly, James's hand jerked in hers and then let go. She turned around in time to see an inferius grab ahold of his ankle, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Forgetting her Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons in her fear, Lily cast the first spell that came to her mind, "_Petrificus Totalis!_" The Inferius fell back, stiff as a cadaver.

She pulled James up again, "Why do I _always_ have to save your arse?"

They were off at once and Lily thought they'd managed to gain some distance. That is until something crashed into her from the side. The corpse of a woman pinned her to the ground, eyes empty and glazed over, and cold hands wrapped around her neck. Lily tried to scream but she couldn't breathe, all the while desperately trying the throw the body off of hers. Just as dark spots began to pierce her vision, air returned to her lungs and the weight of the corpse was lifted from her body.

Rubbing her throat, she watched as James cast a spell and the Inferius was bound in tight ropes.

"I suppose that makes us even, Evans," he retorted, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

They made to run again, but a heat intense enough to be tangible stopped them in their tracks. Lily turned around automatically and felt an irrational surge of joy. A ring of fire had surrounded the army of Inferi, herding them together and effectively stopping their pursuit. Lily cursed herself for not remembering something as simple as an Inferius's fear of light and fire. She allowed herself to breath easy for a moment until she noticed _who_ had come to their rescue and contained the Inferi.

From the left, a tall, dark figure approached. His face might have been handsome once, but his eyes burned red with an evil gleam, and his mouth was stretched into a cruel, callous smile.

"Well," he began in a cold, highpitched voice that sent shivers down Lily's spine. "Who would have though that a pair of students could cause the Dark Lord such trouble?"

James and Lily stood silently, hardly daring to breathe.

The man turned, waving his wand towards the ring of fire. Immediately, the ring moved back towards the clearing, taking the Inferi along with it, the corpses bumping each other, all trying to escape the heat of the flames.

Lily felt no relief at their exit, for she had guessed at the man's identity the moment she saw his face—it was Lord Voldemort.

"So," he began, turning back to James and Lily, "What are the names of the students who managed to take out two of my Death Eaters and almost escape an army of Inferi?"

Neither answered. Lily wasn't sure if it was fear or courage that held her tongue. She glanced at James briefly and noticed his jaw was set in defiance.

Voldemort shook his head at them, as if he were disappointed, "Most impolite not to introduce oneself. Perhaps I should tell you my name first, though I don't really need introduction." He took a step closer, bowing slightly, "I am Lord Voldemort."

Lily, who'd recently become annoyed at the taboo surrounding Voldemort's name, didn't even flinch, and James was steady beside her.

Voldemort smiled his horrible smile, "Ah, you must be quite the brave pair not to fear my name. But, no amount of defiance can prevent me from entering your minds. _Legilimens!_"

Immediately, James yelled out in pain, collapsing to the ground beside her. As sudden as it started, it stopped, leaving James panting on the ground and clutching his head.

"A pleasure to meet you, James Potter," said Voldemort. "You come from noble blood, not unlike myself."

His gaze turned to Lily sharply, and she too fell to the ground at the sharp pain in her head. It felt as if a small knife was stabbing into her mind repeatedly, and she had no way to resist. Voldemort entered her thoughts and read her memories, her entire life story in seconds. And then, he was gone, and she was gasping for breath.

"Lily Evans," he said, disgust evident in his tone. "A _mudblood_, I see."

James wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her stand.

Voldemort frowned at him, "It's a shame that you keep such company, Mr. Potter. You would make an excellent Death Eater."

James pulled Lily firmly against his side, "_Go to hell._"

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, "So, you _care_ about this mudblood? I wonder how much."

He turned to Lily and raised his wand. Before she knew what was happening, her body exploded in agony and she screamed. So much more painful than Voldemort invading her mind. So much more painful than anything she'd ever felt before. So much _pain_. Lily thirsted for the end, thirsted for death, for anything to stop the torture.

And then it was gone, and Lily found herself curled on the ground. James was beside her, shaking, pulling her into his arms as sobs wracked through her body.

Voldemort laughed coldly, "Such a pity. I do hate to spoil blood as pure as yours, Mr. Potter. But, I suppose you've left me no choice."

He waved his wand and James and Lily were suddenly standing, a foot between them. They made eye contact.

"Normally I'd obey the niceties and give you both a clean duel, but I'm in a bit of a hurry this evening and I'm afraid I haven't the time. _Avada_—"

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, James and Lily dived apart, both narrowly avoiding the burst of green light that exploded on the ground between them. Voldemort fired another spell instantaneously, and James and Lily shot answering spells of their own. He easily deflected James's spell, but Lily's caught him by surprise and hit him in the side. He staggered, but otherwise seemed wholly unaffected.

Fury burned in Voldemort's red eyes. He shot killing curse after killing curse at Lily, forcing her to go on the defensive and try to dodge his spells—most of the time only missing death by centimeters. As she ducked and dived, she could see James firing stunning spells and trying to catch Voldemort off guard.

Lily had just lunged behind a bush when James dropped to the ground with a loud yell. A curse ripped James's chest open and blood spilled onto the ground around him. His face was quickly turning pale from the loss of blood.

Lily cried out and made to run to his side, but Voldemort appeared in front of her, and his wand was pointed directly at her heart.

She looked away from James, who was alarmingly still, and into the cold eyes in front of her.

"You've fought well for a mudblood," Voldemort sneered, "And now you're going to watch him die."

Despairing, Lily sank to her knees, and looked back to James—she struggled not to gasp at what she saw. Voldemort had his back to him and couldn't see that James had pulled himself up onto his knees and was now crawling behind him. He looked Lily in the eye and mouthed a single word: _run_.

James raised his wand and wordlessly cast a spell: _Levicorpus_. It wasn't the most elegant solution, but it was effective—Voldemort turned upside down, held in the air by one ankle.

Without hesitating, and, of course, ignoring James's command, Lily stood and pointed her wand to the defenseless Voldemort, prepared to stun. But, before her mouth could form the words, an arrow whizzed over her right shoulder.

She jumped back, and turned just in time to see a herd of centaurs approach through the trees, coming straight towards her. She ran out of the way and noticed James drop Voldemort to the ground in surprise.

The herd halted in front of Voldemort, ignoring Lily and James completely. A centaur came forward and spoke in a deep, booming voice, "You have desecrated our forest with the bodies of those who have passed. You must pay for this crime!"

Voldemort showed no signs or surprise or fear. He stood to his feet with a laugh, "I have an army of Inferi and Death Eaters waiting for my command to strike. A few beasts will hardly slow me down."

The centaurs aimed their bows at his chest.

Lily began to slowly inch backward, but then stiffened as the lead centaur glanced down at her. "If you leave the forest now and promise never to return, you will not be judged for this wizard's actions."

Without waiting for acknowledgement, he trotted forward and let loose an arrow. His aim was true—it hit right in the center of Voldemort's chest—but with a wave of Voldemort's wand it turned into a puff of black smoke.

When the rest of the herd began to loose their own volley, Lily took it as her cue and ran to James. He had collapsed back on the ground, apparently having exerted all his energy in hexing Voldemort.

Ignoring the battle waging between the centaurs and Voldemort, Lily turned him over gently and was glad to see him breathing.

He glared at her. "You didn't run," he said accusingly.

"And leave you again?" Lily shook her head. "Do you think you can stand?"

He nodded. Lily wrapped her arms around his waist and supported him as he stood to his feet. He leaned on her heavily and his face paled considerably.

"I think you've taken one too many trips to the kitchens this term, Potter," Lily teased as they struggled through the forest.

James's responding laugh turned into a painful cough, making Lily regret her attempt at humor. But James seemed appreciative, "Evans, you can be so _immature_ sometimes."

They were almost to the edge of the forest when James's legs finally gave out. He staggered to the ground with a moan, pulling Lily down next to him.

"Just leave me, Lily," he whispered, gasping, "Please."

Lily could just barely see the outline of the castle through the trees, its silhouette illuminated by the dim moonlight. They were so close.

She looked back down at James and time seemed to slow down until nothing existed except the boy in front of her. He was going to be okay, he _had_ to be okay, because they'd made it this far and she wasn't going to abandon him now. Not after the way he'd kissed her. Not after the way he'd held her when Voldemort released her from the Cruciatus curse. Not after the look in his eyes when he ordered her to run. James Potter _was_ going to be okay because Lily wasn't sure how the world could go on without him, and, at that moment, she realized she never wanted to find out.

So, she ignored his pleas and ripped open his bloodstained shirt instead. She inhaled sharply at what she saw—a gash as wide as her forearm and as long as her wand.

"You're going to be okay, James," she said firmly, for his benefit as well as her own.

James looked ready to argue with her more, so Lily glared at him until he sighed and closed his eyes.

Lily didn't have the knowledge or skill to heal a wound like his, but she had to do something—at least to last until they could make it to hospital wing. First, she cast a cleaning charm on the wound, but clearing away the blood only allowed her to see how deeply the spell had cut. She quickly cast another spell, normally designed to heal minor cuts, and it sealed the wound, but Lily knew it would continue to fester. Then, she stripped off her cloak and wrapped it around his torso, trying to apply as much pressure as possible.

"How's that?" she asked, pressing down lightly on the make shift bandage.

He grabbed her hand and managed to sit up on his elbows, wincing, "Great. Fantastic. Now _go_."

"Shut it," she replied, trying to pull him to his feet. But, even in his weak state, James was still stronger and he refused to move.

Not seeing any other option, and apologizing with her eyes, Lily pointed her wand at him and whispered, "_Petrificus totalis_."

His body went rigid, and Lily stood, murmuring a "_wingardium leviosa_" so that he floated in front of her.

She made her way to the castle as quickly as possible, but it was slow going. She kept accidently hitting James on random branches, and once they reached the doors to the entry hall, she banged his head on the doorframe hard enough to make her wince. But, she managed to make it to the fourth floor without further incident.

She opened the double doors to the hospital wing with a loud bang. Madam Pomfrey came running out of her office, still in her dressing gown, just as Lily was slowly lowering James onto a bed.

"What in the _world_ is going on, Miss Evans?" asked Pomfrey, already springing into action and summoning various potions from the storage cabinet.

Lily murmured a "finite," and James woke up only long enough to pass out; it was obvious that his wound had reopened in the trek back to the castle.

Lily ached to stay by James side, but she had to find Dumbledore, "I can't explain. Just please, help him!"

Ignoring Pomfrey's protests and James's groans, Lily sprinted out of the hospital wing.

It wasn't until she had arrived in front of the stone gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office that she realized she didn't know the password.

"Fuck," she muttered to herself.

"Listen, you have to let me in," she begged the stationary gargoyles. "This is life and death; the castle's in danger!"

Apparently her frantic pleading worked, because the gargoyles jumped aside and let her ascend the stairs. Once she had reached the top, she pushed open the doors, not even bothering to knock.

"Dumble—" she began before realizing the office was empty.

Lily, already weary from the horrific night and sick with worry about James, was ready to cry from frustration. She kicked the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, knocking it over.

"Sorry," she murmured to no one before making eye contact with Dumbledore's phoenix sitting calmly in the corner.

It blinked at her and seemed to cock its head.

"I don't suppose _you_ know where he is?" She snapped.

Before the bird could answer, it burst into flames and disappeared.

"Oh, shit," Lily exclaimed, running to the bird's cage.

No sooner had she reached it then a bright fire flashed again, this time behind her. Lily turned, gripping her wand tightly, and then collapsed in relief.

Before her was Dumbledore's phoenix perched on the shoulder of his owner himself.

"Miss Evans, Fawkes implied that you needed to see me rather urgently?" He asked, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Professor," she began, "there isn't time for me to explain it all right now, but Voldemort is _here_, in the forest."

The twinkle was immediately replaced with intensity. "You are certain?"

Lily nodded, "James Potter and I fought him briefly. He has an army of Inferi and about twenty Death Eaters with him. We think he means to attack the castle."

Dumbledore furrowed his white eyebrows, "Where is Mr. Potter now?"

"I took him to the hospital wing," Lily replied, "He was badly wounded."

Dumbledore nodded, "You're both lucky to be alive at all. Now, tell me exactly where in the forest this occurred."

Lily took a deep breath, "We found the Inferi first; they were just waiting in a clearing about two kilometers in from the edge of the forest that faces the vegetable patch. We were running away, back towards the castle, when Voldemort found us."

"Thank you, Miss Evans," Dumbledore replied, seeming to understand exactly the location Lily was referring to. "I'm afraid I must ask you to do one last thing for me."

"Anything," Lily replied, eager to help, it was better than worrying herself about whether or not James was alright.

"I need you to find Professor McGonagall and tell her there are unwelcome visitors outside the castle; she'll know what to do from there. Then, I want you to go back to the hospital wing and have Madam Pomfrey look you over. I'll meet you there when I return. I'm most interested to discover how you and Mr. Potter happened to find yourself in the _Forbidden_ forest at all."

Blood rushed to Lily's face, but Dumbledore looked more curious than angry. "Yessir."

"Good, I will see you soon," he said, grabbing onto Fawkes once more and disappearing in a bright flash.

Lily made her way to McGonagall's office cautiously. When she'd carried James up to the hospital wing, she'd spent the majority of the time putting together the remaining pieces of the puzzle. Selwynn's role was obvious, but they had yet to encounter any of the Slytherins who had spent so much time preparing for this night. But Lily thought she had a pretty good idea.

Somehow, Voldemort must have known that Dumbledore wouldn't be at Hogwarts on that particular night, and he'd planned accordingly. His friend in the Department of Magical Transportation had somehow covered up the exodus of Death Eaters and Inferi into the Forbidden Forest. The students, the involvement of which had long been a mystery to James and Lily, were probably supposed to subdue the remaining teachers and give the all clear when the castle was theirs for the taking. It was a simple plan, and it probably would have worked if James and Lily hadn't decided to visit the Kitchens.

She reached the Transfiguration corridor and peered around the corner quickly. The door to McGonagall's office was slightly ajar, confirming Lily's suspicions that someone had been there before her, but the corridor was otherwise deserted. Lily wished she had the Marauder's map with her, but it was still in James's pockets. Thinking quickly, she cast a silent "_Homenum revelio_." A blue outline of a crouched figure could be seen beside the door, and another seated individual was just behind the first.

Hopefully the second figure was McGonagall, and Lily had a feeling the first was a Slytherin, sent to incapacitate her and guard her office.

Lily took a deep breath and then stepped right out into the middle of the corridor. She was rewarded with the sounds of surprised shuffling. Lily was tired, and she was worried; the last thing she needed was some power-hungry Slytherin in her way.

He lay still on the ground before he could even draw his wand.

Lily stepped over his disillusioned body and carefully opened the door to McGonagall's office. The professor herself was still in her robes from earlier in the day and her hair was as tightly bound as ever, but she was laying face first on her desk, snoring light, which made Lily think she'd been given a sleeping potion. Lily knew how difficult it could be to wake someone who'd been drugged, and she dreaded what she needed to do next.

Lily drew her wand and pointed it at McGonagall. "_Aguamenti_," she whispered and a cold stream of water loudly splashed the professor's face.

McGonagall jerked up immediately, sputtering from the cold water and glaring at Lily with a ferocity she had never seen on the professor's face before now.

"_What in the world do you think you're doing?_" she whispered furiously.

Lily cringed and took a small step backwards. "Professor, you've been drugged," she began. "Voldemort is here. Professor Dumbledore sent me to find you."

"He's _here_?" McGonagall cast a drying spell on herself, a new kind of fury entering her stare.

"In the forest," Lily clarified. "I'm supposed to tell you that there are unwelcome visitors outside the castle. Professor Dumbledore said you'd know what to do."

"Quite right." She cast another spell and three chairs sprang to life. "Wake the other Heads of Houses," she told them. "Then lead them to staff room."

The chairs wobbled away on their four legs, obeying McGonagall's command.

She turned back to Lily, smiling thinly, "Now, explain to me why you felt the need to douse me with water?"

"I think you might have been given a sleeping potion," Lily explained carefully. "Your door was being guarded. I stunned him, but he was disillusioned, so I don't know who it was."

McGonagall nodded, "Let's go find out."

They stepped out into the corridor, only to find it empty.

"He's gone!" Lily could have smacked herself for not disarming and binding him before she entered the office.

"It's no matter," said McGonagall. "I must meet the other teachers, and you need to get back to bed."

Lily nodded and made to leave.

"One more thing, Miss Evans."

Lily turned to see McGonagall giving her the slightest of smiles—the best Lily could hope for. "You've proven yourself a worthy Gryffindor tonight, and I've never been more proud to be your Head of House."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said quietly, not quite sure how to react to praise from the stern teacher.

"You're welcome, Miss Evans. Now go!"

Lily smiled and quickly made her way back to the Hospital Wing. As she entered, Madam Pomfrey was leaning over James, murmuring a few spells under her breath.

He looked clean—any sign of blood had been removed—and a fresh bandage covered the wound on his chest. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow.

"How is he?" Lily asked, sitting beside him and brushing a strand of hair off of his forehead. It bounced back immediately, and she allowed herself a small smile.

"He's stable and past any danger now. Miss Evans, you saved his life with your quick thinking."

Lily was surprised, "I healed him?"

Pomfrey let out a short laugh, "Of course not. I had to reopen the wound in order to seal it properly, but you prevented him from bleeding out. I had to give him two blood-replenishing potions before any sort of color came back into his face. Mr. Potter was very lucky tonight."

Lily sighed in relief, and grabbed his hand.

"Miss Evans," Pomfrey was looking at her pointedly.

"Yes?"

"Have you realized that your left leg is covered in blood?"

Lily started, she hadn't noticed at all, "It's probably just James's." But even as she said it she noticed a twinge in her calf, "Or perhaps I got hurt as well."

Pomfrey rolled her eyes, and rolled up Lily's jeans, "Ah. It's just a mild cut, nothing too serious."

She swished her wand twice, and Lily's leg was cleaned and the skin was repaired.

"Thank you," Lily murmured, her attention focused on James once again.

"Miss Evans, I must ask you what happened? The spell that cut him was no ordinary hex; it must have been serious dark magic."

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to say," Lily shook her head in apology, "But Dumbledore will be here in a few hours."

Pomfrey's mouth thinned in disapproval, but she said no more and left Lily alone with James.

Lily looked at his peaceful face, relaxing all over with the knowledge that he was going to be okay.

They sat there for a while, James sleeping, Lily rethinking all the events from the long night, until Lily felt him stir.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as his eyes flickered open.

He looked around, squinting, "Lily?"

She leaned over him, picking up his glasses from his bedside table, and gently put them on his face with her free hand.

"Hi," she breathed, sitting beside him on the bed.

He glanced at their enfolded hands and then back up to her, "You hexed me!"

Lily laughed lightly, "Well you were being stubborn and _noble_; you gave me no other choice, really."

He reached up to tuck a loose strand hair behind her ear, "I suppose I forgive you; you did save my life after all."

She grinned at him cheekily, "Only about three times."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

Lily shook her head, but then sobered. "I'm really glad you're okay."

James struggled to sit up, wincing slightly as he shifted. "To be honest, I thought I was going to die tonight. I figured it would be worth it if you got away."

Lily squeezed his hand, "Is that why you kissed me?"

If James was surprised that Lily brought it up, he didn't show it. "Yeah," he breathed, watching Lily's face closely. "I should have kissed you a long time ago. I almost did, on New Years."

Lily smiled, "But I screwed that up."

"I didn't want to scare you away, not when you finally trusted me."

Lily nodded, "Up until that night, I guess I thought your crush on me in fifth year was just some passing phrase. That you'd gotten over it when the novelty wore off."

"I thought so too," James agreed with a wry smile. "But I was always bitter that you'd turned me down for someone I thought to be undeserving. I don't think I ever got over being mad at you until we found Selwynn sneaking through the corridor. That night I realized I wasn't really mad at all, I just had never stopped fancying you."

His eyes were warm, his hand gentle as he cupped her cheek. "Was I wrong to think you might fancy me too?"

Lily felt terrified and wonderful all at the same time. James was looking at her much as he had on New Years Eve, but this time, Lily didn't want to look away. She shook her head wordlessly, not trusting her mouth to properly express what was going on inside her heart.

Instead, she leaned in, and he leaned in too. . .

. . . And the hospital doors opened loudly.

Lily jumped up, dropping James's hand. "Professor!" she exclaimed.

"Everything has been taken care of, Miss Evans," said Dumbledore, striding over to James's bedside with a tired expression.

Lily sat back down on the edge of James's bed, exhaling in relief, "He's gone?"

Dumbledore nodded and silently summoned a chair on which to sit, smiling slightly, "It appears that after you two got away, Voldemort realized his plan had been foiled. By the time we got to the forest, there were no signs of Voldemort nor his followers, but the army of Inferi were precisely where you described, Miss Evans."

"So, that's it then?" spoke up James, a tinge of anger in his voice. "All those Death Eaters just got away?"

"I know it might seem like a defeat, Mr. Potter," began Dumbledore, "but the two of you saved the school tonight."

James looked as if we were ready to disagree, but Dumbledore waved his hand and continued, "But, I believe we might have enough evidence to put at least one Death Eater in Azkaban for a very long time."

"Selwynn?" questioned Lily.

"Indeed," agreed Dumbledore. "His illegal usage of portkeys should be easy enough to trace, and once the ministry has taken him into custody, we ought to be able to find more incriminating evidence of his loyalties. Now, I think I'd like to hear your story from the beginning, if you don't mind."

And so they told him. They explained how they stumbled across Selwynn and Avery late one night, and how they followed Selwynn to the edges of the forest. They told him about the Room of Requirement and their unsuccessful attempts to enter it. And they told him how they saw Selwynn enter the forest once again, and how, this time, they decided to follow him. They explained how they found the Inferi and how they barely managed to keep Voldemort at bay—that is until a herd of centaurs entered the fray. Dumbledore sat silently through their story, not interrupting, just sitting patiently, his face pensive.

"There's one thing I still don't understand," said Lily upon the conclusion of their tale. "Why Hogwarts? If Voldemort was going to invade anywhere, wouldn't he rather take over the Ministry?"

It wasn't Dumbledore who answered, but James: "What better way to control a wizard than through his child?"

"Mr. Potter is quite right," nodded Dumbledore, a hint of pride in his smile. "I think Voldemort knew I'd be up to my ears in Wizengamot trials this evening and decided to take advantage of my absence."

"What's to stop him from trying again?" asked Lily. "You won't always be here."

"I daresay the two of you set him back quite a bit tonight," answered Dumbledore. "I don't believe Voldemort will try to attack Hogwarts again, but I fear he'll be rather angry. I expect the death toll will soon begin rising."

"Does the Ministry have the strength to fight back?" asked James.

"The Ministry will remain as effective as it's always been in stopping injustice," replied Dumbledore.

James snorted in disgust, and Lily shook her head, "There must be _something_ we can do. Why should we have to sit around while the Ministry twiddles their thumbs?"

"I feared you would say that, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, the inexplicable sadness that comes with age entering his eyes. "Tonight, the two of you have proven yourselves beyond worthy of the titles of Head Boy and Girl. Although your actions might have been a little rash, you've shown immense bravery and initiative. You knowingly put your lives at stake, and I hate to ask any more of you this night."

Lily looked at James, wordless conversation flowing between them.

"Go on," said James.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. "You were right, Miss Evans, in thinking that we should be able to act when the Ministry fails to. There are other wizards who have also become frustrated by the Ministry's inaction, and we've decided that more _can_ be done, and we're going to do it. We raise awareness of the very real threat, we encourage those who can't fight to get out while they still can, and, most importantly, we rally as many wands as we can to our side. We've decided to work _outside_ the Ministry, and, sometimes, outside the law."

James grinned wickedly and shot Lily a wink, "Sounds like I could fit right in."

Dumbledore smiled back, "Indeed, Mr. Potter, which is why, for some time, I've been planning on asking you to join our order. Along with Miss Evans and a few of your other classmates."

"I'm in," Lily said without hesitation. James snatched up her hand, and she smiled, "And I think it goes without saying that he's in too."

"I wouldn't expect any less from the two of you," said the Headmaster, pride gleaming in his blue eyes. "In the coming months, I'll offer this same choice to your other friends, but I must ask that this conversation remain between us until that time. Besides, you won't be joining until you've graduated, as I'm sure you understand."

"What's the point?" asked James. "What difference will our N.E.W.T.S. make when people are dying outside these walls?"

Dumbledore smiled, as if he had expected this question, "Are you sure it's wise to ask your Headmaster to explain the importance of your eduation? You're going to be in the thick of it soon enough, Mr. Potter; I suggest taking advantage of the last few months of your childhood while you still can. Speaking of which, I dare say the school could use some livening up, don't you think?" He winked, and then stood. "Now, I suggest the two of your get some rest. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will want to keep you both under observation at least until tomorrow."

"Professor," Lily called as he made to leave them.

He turned around with a quizzical look, "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"It's not going to be safe anymore, is it? For muggleborns like me, that is."

Dumbledore's blue eyes grew sad, and, for the first time that night, he looked his age. "I'm afraid it won't be, Miss Evans. Worried parents are going to start pulling their students of school, and wiser families will go into hiding. But, if we can get enough brave people, like you and Mr. Potter, on our side, perhaps we can make the world a safe place again."

Lily nodded, "Thank you."

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, "No, thank you, Miss Evans. And you too, Mr. Potter. On nights like this I'm reminded just why I decided to teach all those years ago. Even with a hundred years of experience, there is always something new to learn."

He bowed his head to each in turn and then left them alone once more.

They sat in silence, Lily staring out the window, until James squeezed her hand. She jumped lightly, almost having forgotten he was there.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, quietly.

She turned to him with a sad smile, "The future."

He raised an eyebrow, "How's it look?"

Lily snorted, "Pretty grim, to be honest."

James dropped her hand and shifted his weight to one side of the bed. "Come here," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her beside him. She curled up next to him, their legs tangled together.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked as she laid her head on his chest, right over his bandaged wounds.

"We Marauders are tough blokes; you've forgotten that I run around with a werewolf every month," he smiled, but Lily didn't miss his grimace.

She propped herself up on an elbow, looking up at him and touching his jaw lightly. He was watching her with intensity, drinking her in as if he couldn't believe she was actually there.

"I think I might be in love with you," he said simply.

Lily couldn't stop the smile that crawled across her face, nor did she want to. She'd just come to the same conclusion, after all. "I think I might be in love with you too."

And then they were kissing. This kiss wasn't like their desperate first; it was gentle, and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. Even though Lily knew they didn't have that much time—how could they, when they'd just decided to fight in a war?—she thought it would be enough if she could spend it with James.

Later, when James had fallen asleep and Lily had reluctantly settled in the bed next to his, she thought about the future again—for herself and for other muggleborns.

Dumbledore had told her that the wise would run and hide, but Lily knew that would never be an option for her. How could she save herself when she knew wizards like James were fighting for her? How could she run away when every wand counted?

She and James _could_ have forgotten about Selwynn after they found him that first night. They didn't _need_ to obsess over the Room of Requirement. And they certainly didn't _have_ to follow Selwynn into the forest. But, she was Lily Evans and he was James Potter, and neither one knew how to back down from a fight.

It was what had brought them together in the first place—the desire for a challenge, the excitement in an argument. James was just as stubborn as Lily, and now that they found themselves on the same side of an argument, they would be a dangerous team.

They'd never run _away_. They'd run just like they had tonight: right into the thick of it.

-Fin-

**A/N: So, I was looking up names the other day, and I found out that Selwynn's name means 'out of the woods.' Selwynn is actually a canon name that I used, so this little connection completely blew my mind! This chapter, and actually this whole fic, was inspired by King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men. The song just screamed J/L to me, and I couldn't resist writing a story about their unwillingness to surrender or run away from a fight, even when things get hard. Sorry I updated four chapters of this story in a span of a month and then didn't update again for quite awhile, but I blame the fall and school starting up again. Thank you so much to everyone that reads this story, and thanks especially to those who have left me lovely feedback! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing! **

**-Persephone**


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